The Uncharted Land
by KaBlamoid4Life
Summary: When a race of creatures called Trolls threaten ponykind, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Vinyl Scratch and Scootaloo  along with a fourth partner they meet later on set out on a quest to stop them. Followup to Rainbow Rescue. T for violence and some profanity
1. Prologue: The White Troll

A very long time ago, in the region north of Equestria...

…

On a clifftop high in the forested wilderness, two large creatures called Trolls walked side by side, moving on all fours with their somewhat stumpy legs and their long, muscular arms. Standing at ten feet tall when standing up straight and resembling a cross between a gorilla and a Grizzly bear, with a head not unlike that of a Tyrannosaurus rex, the Trolls were quite formidable looking… but were also a surprisingly peaceful race, for the most part. One of the two walking Trolls was burly, had dark grey skin, and a thick coat of black fur everywhere but on his face and hands, and the other one was somewhat slimmer, had lighter grey skin, and bright white fur. The black-furred Troll had bright green eyes and the white one had bright yellow, both sets bearing cat-like pupils.

"Thank you for walking with me, son," the black-furred Troll said in a gruff but kind voice, "I've been wanting to discuss these issues with you for some time."  
>"As have I," the white-furred Troll said, "As have I."<p>

The two Trolls stopped at the edge of the cliff and looked out over the vast mountainous region, covered in tall trees. Off in the distance, nestled into a small cluster of mountains, was a huge city built from stone and wood - Clawstone, the capital of the Trolls.

"Whiteclaw, I have to say that your recent activities greatly concern me," the black-furred Troll said. "Slandering the Equestrians in your speeches, spreading anti-Equestrian propaganda all over the city, painting their whole species as heartless killers - I've told you once, and I'll tell you again: That was an isolated incident. Their species is for the most part kind and gentle! You're letting it taint your view of their whole species!"

"Why should I not?" the white-furred Troll named Whiteclaw snapped, "Have you already forgotten what happened?" As memories of the horrible event he was speaking of rushed through his mind, Whiteclaw had to pause and regain his composure. "Would you call THAT 'kind and gentle'?"  
>The black Troll bowed his head - the event was still fresh in his mind. "Don't think I've forgotten, Whiteclaw. But Princess Celestia gave us an apology and threw those royal guards in the dungeon. They're not all killers."<p>

Whiteclaw got a grim smirk on his face. "You keep saying that. And let me tell you, it's getting VERY old. Now, I'll give you one more chance to agree with my view, organize our army, and attack the Equestrians. Hit every city, every small town, every isolated cabin. Wipe out their whole filthy species. Will you agree to that, father?"  
>"The answer is NO!" The black Troll said, losing his temper. "I can't believe you… so thirsty for revenge that it's blinded your view of a whole species. This is going against everything I've ever taught you."<p>

Whiteclaw then frowned and pointed to a hill a few miles behind him. "During my exploits, I've found an Equestrian encampment just behind that ridge over there. Of course, I don't know why I'm telling you that, since you already know - you gave the filthy little creatures your blessing, after all. But I'm afraid that I'm going to come back to the city alone, as King Redwood will have been brutally murdered by the new Equestrian settlers... and King Whiteclaw will rise in his place. And under the new King, we will begin the purge... starting with that little camp of theirs."

King Redwood's eyes widened in horror and disbelief. "Son… don't do this…"  
>Whiteclaw responded by flexing his right hand, causing long, six-inch claws to protract from his fingers. He then slashed at King Redwood's face, leaving deep claw marks along the left side of his face… one right through his eye. Redwood howled in unbearable agony, when Whiteclaw struck again - this time slashing at his chest. The large black Troll collapsed to his knees, bleeding from his multiple slash wounds, and crying aloud… but it wasn't over the physical pain he was in.<p>

"Crying?" Whiteclaw mockingly asked. "I'm disappointed, Father. I thought you were tougher than this." He then slashed Redwood across the back, leaving more deep gashes, and Redwood howled in pain once more.  
>"Son…" Redwood asked, looking up at Whiteclaw, his green eyes full of tears. "I… can't…"<br>Whiteclaw chuckled. "At a loss for words, Father?" He slashed at Redwood yet again, this time striking him on the other side of his face. "Well, since you can't seem to say anything… let's make sure it stays that way."

Whiteclaw took a second to look over the edge of the cliff… it was a drop of at least two hundred feet. He then retracted his claws and picked up Redwood, who was too tired and agonized to fight back, and held him over his head - despite being slimmer than most Trolls, Whiteclaw was still very strong.

"Goodbye, Father," Whiteclaw said coldly, "Don't worry, I'll take care of things while you're gone." And with that, he threw Redwood off the cliff and watched as his father plummeted into the deep forest below and land with a loud thud.

"I'm sorry," Whiteclaw said under his breath, "But this had to be done."

"…I regret to inform you all that Redwood, your king and my father, is dead," Whiteclaw said solemnly, standing atop a rock overlooking a vast gathering of Trolls - some large and some small. As soon as they heard the news, some of them broke down in tears, but most of them looked up in horror and disbelief.

"We were simply walking along Dragonbone Ridge, discussing the future of our kingdom, when we came under attack by the new Equestrian settlers." As soon as he said that, many of the Trolls gasped, and some of them growled in fury. Whiteclaw continued, "We tried to fight back, and while King Redwood fought valiantly, he… he was knocked off the cliff when the Pegasi swarmed him," he said shakily. "I managed to frighten the Equestrians off, but unfortunately, I was much too late. Redwood was a lot of things. He was a great King, a wonderful leader, a brave warrior… and may I say, a good father." But Whiteclaw cleared his throat and assumed a strong, confident posture.

"But I have a promise for each and every last one of you," Whiteclaw said, looking out at the vast crowd. "I may not be able to fully replace Redwood, and truthfully, I doubt I'll be as great a leader. But I promise you this: Under my rule, we will rise up from the ashes. We will expand beyond this forest land we call home, and settle new territory. We WILL avenge Redwood. Never again will we be considered underlings. Never AGAIN will any Equestrians murder our loved ones under my watch! We will expand! We will conquer! And we will become the greatest, most powerful, most respected, and most populous race that EQUESTRIA HAS EVER KNOWN!"

As he looked over his new kingdom and basked in the roaring cheers, Whiteclaw fought to keep a huge smile from spreading across his face.

…  
>Five months later…<p>

Just a month after King Whiteclaw took the throne, his kingdom erupted in a civil war. The day he became King, Whiteclaw announced his vision for a genocide of the Equestrian race, starting with the settler's camp... but while many of his subjects agreed and were fully willing to support his conquest, many others did not. A bright young Troll named Sycamore was a loud opponent of King Whiteclaw's vision, and he had assembled a small army of like-minded Trolls. And King Whiteclaw and the Trolls loyal to him - who had called themselves The Army of Ascension - were willing to do anything to silence their opponent's views... permanently. But while Sycamore's Trolls were excellent warriors, The Army of Ascension were simply better trained and equipped, and over a month of battles, Sycamore's Trolls had progressively been whittled down.

It all climaxed with the Battle of Big Water.

Sycamore's Trolls had been driven to the very edge of the region, to the beaches on the ocean. The Army of Ascension had them cornered. And on one particularly windy, overcast day, they attacked. It was a long, bloody battle, with casualties on both sides. But as they had proven countless times before, The Army of Ascension had the upper hand, and eventually reduced Sycamore's numbers from 200 to 20 and had them cornered against one side of the fortress, when...

"ENOUGH!" a voice called out from one of the fortress' towers, "WE SURRENDER! Trolls, you have fought well, but Whiteclaw wins this round."

Sycamore's Trolls lowered their heads and stood at ease, dreading whatever fate their conquerors had in store for them. And soon, a slender Troll with light brown hair stepped out from the doorway of one of the towers - Sycamore himself. King Whiteclaw raised a hand to order his soldiers to stay put, and then stepped forward.

"I'm disappointed, Sycamore," King Whiteclaw called to the Troll who had been such a thorn in his side, "If you truly believed in your cause, you would show some backbone and fight to the death for it. But instead, this... it's almost disgusting. Why did you do it, Sycamore? Why did you order your Trolls to surrender?"

"We're sick of it, Whiteclaw," Sycamore yelled, his orange eyes watering up-  
>"That's KING Whiteclaw to you!" King Whiteclaw yelled furiously, pointing a clawed index finger to Sycamore, "You will respect that fact!"<br>Sycamore ignored him and continued. "We're sick of the fighting! Every day, we lose our brothers. Every night, we rest in some filthy cave, dreading the next day. Before this battle, we had reached an unanimous decision to surrender if we suffered a large enough loss! It's not just me. It's everyone!"

"You're pathetic, all of you!" King Whiteclaw yelled, glaring at the remnants of Sycamore's Trolls. "Ask yourself... what will our future generations think when they read their history tomes? Had you truly believed in your cause, they would read about how Sycamore's Trolls died in a blaze of glory for what they believed in! But instead, they will merely read about how Sycamore's Trolls were cowards, and died like cowards!"

Sycamore gave a heavy, defeated sigh, and looked directly at King Whiteclaw, who had a sickening smirk on his face. "So... is that it? You're going to kill us? Well, so be it..."  
>"That was my original plan, yes," King Whiteclaw said, "But luckily for your Trolls, I am in a good mood. Admittedly, I was hoping for a better ending to this war, but I'll take what I can get. Anyway, I am going to offer your Trolls a choice... but unfortunately for you, you don't get a choice."<p>

A toothy smile spread across King Whiteclaw's face, and he approached Sycamore, who simply had his head bowed in acceptance of his fate. King Whiteclaw then reared his right arm back, spread his claws out, and struck Sycamore in the head, swiftly decapitating him and sending his body crashing to the ground. This brought great joy to King Whiteclaw, but he didn't let it overcome his judgement, and prepared for an attack from Sycamore's Trolls... but that attack never came. With a victorious smile, King Whiteclaw then placed a single foot on the chest of Sycamore's corpse and began to speak.

"You may have succumbed to cowardice in the end, but as much as that disgusts me, I cannot forget that you have all fought very well these past months. Because of this, I offer each and every one of you a choice: Either fall to The Army of Ascension, like your former leader... or join us, and be a part of the glorious uprising of our race by driving the Equestrians to extinction. For those of you who join me, I promise that you will be very well taken care of - never will you go hungry or be without shelter." He took a moment to look at the faces of Sycamore's Trolls, and most of them seemed to be considering his offer.

"So, make your choice. For those of you who wish to die with your leader and his old vision, stay put. But for those of you who wish to fight for King Whiteclaw and gain the respect, honor and glory that you have been denied for all too long... step forward."

A few moments passed as Sycamore's Trolls considered the offer, until one of them stepped forward. And then another... and another... and another... until all 20 of Sycamore's Trolls had formed a line just three feet from King Whiteclaw.

"Good choice," King Whiteclaw said, and then he smiled and spread his arms. "Welcome to the Army of Ascension!"

All of the Trolls roared in confirmation as King Whiteclaw gave a long, hearty laugh. The civil war was over... the war on the Equestrian race was just about to begin.

…  
>Five decades later…<p>

It had been a long, but immensely satisfying, 50 years. Rather than immediately attacking the Equestrians, King Whiteclaw began by tending to his new kingdom. He spread propaganda around Clawstone that demonized the Equestrians. He altered the schooling of the young Trolls, having the scholars teach their students about the evils of the Equestrian race... all the better to alter the viewpoints of his new Trolls at a young age. He had a wooden monument of the former king Redwood carved and placed in the middle of town, all the better to provide his Trolls with even greater incentive to avenge their former King. And what was better, the Equestrians were completely oblivious to this growing threat - while Princess Celestia did come to Clawstone all those years ago and apologize for her guards' actions, the Equestrians generally kept to themselves and didn't pay much mind to the business of other species. And this suited King Whiteclaw just fine.

King Whiteclaw also took steps toward weeding out any Trolls left who disagreed with his vision. He had arranged a force of secret police called the Clawghosts who would keep tabs on his Trolls, and if any of them showed even a small sign of disapproval... they would be captured when they were alone, brought to King Whiteclaw via a series of secret underground tunnels known only by the Clawghosts, and personally executed. Not only did this eliminate any dissenters and potential rebels, but when combined with the infanticide of weak and sickly newborn Trolls that King Whiteclaw had also implemented, it also helped prevent overpopulation.

But despite his changes to the kingdom, King Whiteclaw became a very popular ruler for his charisma, intelligence and plans for expansion. It helped that he progressively whittled the kingdom down to Trolls who were loyal to him.

But after 20 years, King Whiteclaw finally felt that it was time to strike. One dark, cold Winter night, he assembled an army of warrior Trolls and led them to the Equestrian settler's camp, which had expanded into a fairly large town. It was a long march, as the town was located miles away from their kingdom, but it would all be worth it in the end.

Finally, they reached the town. As it was late at night, all of the residents were asleep in their homes... but they wouldn't be for much longer. King Whiteclaw took a moment to look over his army, and smiled with pride.

"My friends... the time has finally come," King Whiteclaw said, his voice filled with confidence. "Show them no mercy! Don't let a single Equestrian escape! Think of Redwood... think of every Troll who has died to their filthy race... and strike back!"

The Equestrian Purge had just begun.

…  
>Two years later...<p>

"Are you sure it is him?"  
>"I am positive, Princess. He definitely fits the sightings."<br>"Then today is going to be his unlucky day," Princess Celestia said as she flew over Equestria, accompanied by her sister Luna and a whole platoon of her royal Pegasus guards. Captain Steelwing, her most trusted of the royal guards, had come to her with urgent news regarding a sighting of the white Troll known as Whiteclaw, out on his own, presumably hunting Equestrians.

Over the past two years, Whiteclaw and his Trolls had been a true terror to Equestria. It started when they massacred Coltberg, the town that had been settled in the Uncharted Land, and got progressively worse and worse: Since that horrific night, 10 towns had been wiped out, and 250 Equestrians had been lost.

But today, it was going to end.

"There - I see him!" Princess Luna shouted, pointing towards a rocky canyon where a large, white Troll was running away at full speed.  
>"Good eyes, sister," Princess Celestia said, "Come on! Let us end this once and for all!"<br>Their formation flew at top speed towards Whiteclaw, more than ready to bring him to justice. But soon, he turned his head and saw them… and ran away, into a cave.

"He is not getting away," Celestia hissed, "Not THIS time. Into the cave! Prepare for a fight!"  
>Altering their formation to better fit into the cave, the two Princesses and the royal guard darted after Whiteclaw, and soon enough they found him: His back was to the wall, but he looked surprisingly confident.<br>"Good to finally meet you, Celestia," he sneered, "I've been wanting to meet you for a very, very lon-"  
>"Enough," Princess Celestia said - they definitely had the right white Troll. "Luna, NOW!"<p>

The two Princesses concentrated, and their horns started to glow. Whiteclaw's confidence faded, and was replaced by a feral rage. With a terrifying screech, he prepared to jump at them… but before he could do that, the cave filled with a bright light from the Princesses' magic, and Whiteclaw noticed that he couldn't move. He looked down to find that his feet were encased in stone… and his legs were starting to follow suit.

"You won't get away with this, Princess!" Whiteclaw roared furiously, even as he was slowly becoming encased in stone. "I WILL destroy your whole filthy race! When you die, I can promise you that…" As his body slowly turned to stone, he found it increasingly difficult and painful to speak, "…Whiteclaw… will be there, with his claws covered in… your… blood!"

Whiteclaw knew that he didn't have much time left, so he decided to leave the Princesses something to remember him by: A loud, angry roar that shook the very foundations of the cave. And with that, Whiteclaw was encased in stone, a expression of pure, hateful anger frozen on his face. As soon as the Troll that was behind so much death and destruction was frozen, Princess Celestia breathed a sigh of relief… until she noticed that small pebbles were falling from the cave's ceiling. Whiteclaw's last roar had caused a cave-in!

"Everypony, with me!" Celestia ordered, "NOW!" She immediately took flight, and Princess Luna and the royal guard followed her. They skillfully dodged falling rocks as they flew out of the cave, and soon they emerged just as the whole ceiling collapsed. Sharing a collective sigh of relief, the two Princesses and the guards looked back at the collapsed cave… Whiteclaw's tomb.

"It is a shame," Celestia said, "I would have preferred to get him into the garden so I could keep an eye on him. But now, we know for sure that he will not hurt anypony ever again."

"Come, sister," Luna said, "Let us return home and tell everypony of Whiteclaw's defeat. And later, we need to ensure that his forces have been quelled."  
>And they all flew off, leaving one of the fiercest killers in Equestria's history buried under hundreds of pounds of dirt and rubble.<p>

…  
>Many, many years later...<p>

Deep in an overgrown forest in the Uncharted Land, a young yellow colt with a dark green mane ran for his life – which was difficult, as he only had three legs. He could hear it right behind him... smashing through trees, growling, breathing heavily... the little colt had never been so terrified in his life.

Panting, out of breath, and with tears streaming down his face, the colt kept running from the monster behind him, but suddenly he reached a cliff face. He was cornered. Crying aloud, he turned to look behind him, and saw it: A huge Troll with black fur, even darker black eyes, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and huge claws. The colt could only watch in horror as the beast ran right at him, focused on one thing and one thing only: Ripping him apart.

The colt couldn't bear to look any more. He knew this was the end. He clenched his eyes shut, and tried to look back on his time with the unicorn who had been his best friend for months... if only he hadn't lost her to a raging waterfall, he wouldn't be in this horrible mess... He could only wait for the Troll to start tearing him to pieces...

But instead, he felt and heard something heavy hit the ground, and then he heard a loud, furious roar. He opened his eyes, but instantly regretted it: Now there were TWO Trolls. An even larger black-furred Troll, this one with deep, long healed-up scars all over his body, was standing just a few feet away. But soon, the colt noticed something odd: The Trolls weren't paying attention to him at all. Instead, they were staring each other down and growling ferociously.

Suddenly, the scarred Troll let out a furious roar and jumped at the other Troll, his long arms and claws outstretched. And in just seconds, right before the colt's eyes, the other Troll was completely mauled: While it tried to put up a fight, the scarred Troll was simply much stronger and faster. Ultimately, the scarred Troll jabbed one of his long claws right through the other Troll's neck, killing it instantly.

The colt, having been enraptured at the sight of two giants fighting to the death, realized that he needed to get away from there, and fast – especially since the scarred Troll was starting to come his way. But the colt was in such a rush that he tripped over a thick branch and fell to the ground, and since he only had three legs, getting up would be very difficult... and slow. He cringed as a huge shadow fell over him, and looked up. The scarred Troll was right there, looking down on him with one large, green eye – the left side of his face was so badly scarred that his left eye had been warped into a permanent squint.

To the colt's horror, the scarred Troll retracted his claws, and reached to him with a big hand – the hand that wasn't used to kill the other Troll. But to the colt's surprise, the scarred Troll spoke.

"Don't be frightened, little one," the scarred Troll said in a gruff but kindly voice, "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. Come on, let me help you up."

The scarred Troll gently slid two fingers under the colt's body and lifted him up onto his feet. Then, the Troll outstretched the same hand as if he were encouraging the colt to climb into his huge palm. Too shocked by this display of kindness to speak, the colt looked up at the Troll's face... and he had an expression that the colt had never, ever seen on a Troll before.

A friendly smile. Sure, the Troll was smiling with razor-sharp teeth, but a friendly smile was a friendly smile.

"Come with me," the Troll said, "I'll protect you."


	2. A Rude Awakening

A month later...

The griffon named Gilda kept her golden eyes on the ground below as she soared over the Equestrian Great Plains, the cool Fall air blowing past her feathers, in search of a midnight snack. Being a Griffon, Gilda had excellent vision, even when it was pitch black outside... and she was capable of noticing even the smallest movement of a tasty woodland creature. While her favorite snack was Braeburn apples, Gilda was a natural born predator, and she often found herself in the mood for a wild field mouse or even a rabbit.

After a few more moments of carefully searching the grass below, Gilda saw a small-but-satisfying creature huddled up against a tree. She couldn't quite make out what it was, but it certainly looked tasty , so she silently flew closer. But as Gilda approached the creature, she heard it making strange noises... they almost sounded like sobs.

"Aw, is it crying?" Gilda thought with a smirk, "I'll give it something to cry about..." But her cocky, somewhat cruel demeanor faded when she got closer and saw what the creature really was: A small, orange filly with a purple mane, curled up against the tree, crying. The little filly was covered in scrapes and bruises, her mane was disheveled, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Thoughts of feasting upon what she thought was a wild animal faded quickly from Gilda's mind... while Griffons used to eat ponies, it ended a long time ago.

"Kid, what's the deal?" Gilda asked curtly, "What are you doin' out here at THIS hour? You're lucky I didn't eat you! Until I saw that you were a pony, I was gonna have you as a snack!"

The filly looked at Gilda, her big purple eyes full of tears, and she started bawling. "They're dead... THEY'RE DEAD!"

Immediately, Gilda softened her tone as best as she could... which wasn't easy for her. "Who's dead?"  
>"My... Mommy and Daddy..." the filly sobbed, "The Troll, it..." She couldn't finish the sentence.<p>

"Oh, no... a Troll got your mom and dad?"  
>The filly looked up and Gilda and responded with a heartbroken nod.<br>Gilda sighed. She wasn't the best at being supportive or sympathetic, but this situation called for it. "I'm... sorry, uh..."  
>"Scootaloo," the filly told her.<br>"Scootaloo," Gilda acknowledged – the name sounded oddly familiar. "Is there something I can do to help you out? I could take you to the nearest town."

Scootaloo wiped her eyes with her forehooves. "You don't know Rainbow Dash, do ya?"  
>That name hit Gilda like a sack of bricks. "Yeah, I know her, alright..."<br>"Good," Scootaloo said, trying to maintain her composure. "Do you know where she lives?"  
>"Yep," Gilda said. "She lives in a cloud house, right?"<br>Scootaloo nodded. "Please take me there... she's about all I got left!"

Gilda nodded. While her evening wasn't exactly going as planned, and she didn't particularly like ponies, and she wasn't very keen about seeing Rainbow Dash again, after their last meeting... she wasn't about to leave Scootaloo to rot in the woods. Gilda bent down and unfolded her vast wings, and Scootaloo weakly climbed on.

"Now hold on tight," Gilda said, and Scootaloo nodded. And as soon as Scootaloo's forelegs were wrapped around Gilda's neck, the griffon took flight.

…

Rainbow Dash sighed as she got up out of bed and started to hover through the air, toward the front door. She had been sleeping so peacefully, and having the best dream about joining the Wonderbolts yet, when a loud knocking noise woke her up. Somepony was at her door… at 3:00 in the morning.

"If it's Pinkie Pie, I swear I'm gunna…" Rainbow grumbled groggily as she hovered over to her door. She opened it, and saw a griffon with golden eyes.

"…Gilda?" Rainbow said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes to make sure that the griffon was really there. Gilda had stormed off ages ago after that party! What was she doing here, at this hour?  
>"Uh, hi Rainbow Dash," Gilda said awkwardly - they hadn't exactly parted on the best terms. "Listen, I need your help, and I need it fast."<br>"What could possibly so important to wake me up at THIS hour?" Rainbow sighed. "And besides, I thought I was too "lame" for you."

"Just shut up," Gilda commanded, "And take a look at this." She then unfolded her wings to reveal something that made Rainbow gasp.

"Scoo…Scootaloo?"

Lying on Gilda's back was a sleeping Scootaloo, covered in bruises and scratches. At first Rainbow was startled by the sight, but then she shot Gilda a glare.

"If you hurt her..."

Gilda's eyes went wide, but then narrowed in anger. "Just shut up, you idiot! I didn't lay a talon on her! I was flying over the forest when I saw her laying there on the ground looking like she'd seen a ghost! I asked her what was up, and she said that her parents got killed by a Troll, and she wanted to be with you! So… here I am. I saved her life, you dolt!"

As soon as Rainbow Dash heard about Scootaloo's parents, her face went completely blank. "... Is this one of your pranks!"  
>"You think I'm pulling another prank?" Gilda asked angrily, "Just ask her when she wakes up!"<br>Rainbow closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just... oh Celestia... let's just get her inside."

Rainbow Dash led Gilda to a guest bedroom on the second floor of her cloud house, and when they got there, Rainbow picked Scootaloo up off of Gilda's back and set her in the bed. The room was colored in light aqua blues and cream colors, which made for a comforting atmosphere despite the situation. Whenever Scootaloo woke up, at least the room would slightly soothe her. Rainbow then put a warm, blue blanket over the battered little filly, who was still sound asleep, completely oblivious to what was going on.

"She should be okay," Gilda said. "Just a few scratches and bruises, but she'll live." She then turned to Rainbow and frowned. "Sure, she'll be an orphan, but at least she's still alive, right?" she asked glumly.

Rainbow Dash shook her head sadly. "Yeah... maybe I can help her out. Become her legal guardian or something."  
>Gilda responded with a grim chuckle. "Dash, remember that fish you had?"<br>"Don't remind me," Rainbow said curtly.  
>"If you couldn't take care of a tiny fish, how do you think you're gonna take care of a filly?" Gilda asked incredulously. "You may be a flip-flop, but I know you're not stupid!"<p>

"Look... she means a lot to me, okay?" Rainbow Dash retorted. "And I mean a lot to her. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she has a good home and somepony to take care of her. She deserves that much, at the very least."  
>Gilda nodded. "I guess you're right, Dash. Now listen, I gotta go back home. Uh... I hope she does okay."<br>"Alright," Rainbow said. "Hey... Gilda?"  
>Gilda turned to face Rainbow, her eyes narrowed in that nonchalant, slightly aloof expression she was so good at making. "Yeah?"<p>

"…Thanks. For bringing Scootaloo here," Rainbow Dash said, awkwardly but gratefully. "We won't forget it, Gilda."  
>Gilda frowned, not quite sure what to say. She never had been good with sentimental moments.<br>"…I couldn't just let her die, you know," Gilda finally said curtly, and with that, she was gone. After hearing the downstairs door close, Rainbow then turned to Scootaloo, who was still sound asleep.

"I'm so sorry, Scoots," Rainbow whispered as her young friend slept, "But I don't represent the Element of Loyalty for nothin'. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're okay."

Rainbow Dash started to quietly hover out… but just as she was about to go through the door, something inside her kept her from going any further. Instead, she looked back at Scootaloo, and felt an overwhelming desire to stay by her side. So Rainbow hovered back to a seat next to Scootaloo's bed and sat down.

"I can't just leave Scoot alone in here," Rainbow thought. "What if she wakes up in the middle of the night…" She then realized just how late it was. "Well sometime before morning, anyway."

As Rainbow watched over the sleeping Scootaloo, once again she felt that maternal instinct fill her heart. It had first kicked in when she saved Scootaloo from another Troll, and once again she was looking at this little pegasus as if she were her little sister, or even daughter. Rainbow sighed at this feeling and shook her head.  
>"Why do I keep feelin' this way?" she asked herself. "I'd be a horrible mom! I couldn't take care of a goldfish, much less a filly! A filly who's a lot like me, at that! Hay… it'd be like me taking care of… me! And I'm not even her..." she sighed as the harsh reality of what happened came back to her. "...mom."<p>

She knew she'd never be able to fill the gap left by Sunset and Raindrop... but she was going to try.

Rainbow Dash just lied back in her chair, her eyes drooping from both weariness and sorrow. Between her unexpected reunion with Gilda, seeing Scootaloo looking worse for wear, and the news about Scootaloo's parents, Rainbow highly doubted that she would be able to get to sleep. But sure enough, within moments she was dozing off.

...

Scootaloo woke up with a start, and looked around the room, wondering where she was. The last thing she remembered was walking down the trail with her parents, and then…

"Oh, no…" Scootaloo whimpered as the horrible memories - the trees crashing, the footsteps, those roars and growls, that awful Troll, her parents yelling at her to run as they tried to hold the Troll off - came rushing back. Just then, Rainbow Dash hovered into the room carrying a tray with some apples on it.

"Hi, Scoot," Rainbow said softly. "Sleep well?"  
>Scootaloo turned to look at Rainbow Dash... and immediately, she burst into tears and buried her face in her hooves. Rainbow set the tray aside and hovered over to Scootaloo, but the bawling filly just turned away, trying to hide her face.<p>

"Just... leave me alone, please," Scootaloo cried, "I.. I don't want you to see me like this..."  
>In response, Rainbow Dash silently sat next to Scootaloo and wrapped her arms around her. While Scootaloo initially tried to pull away, she quickly gave in and hugged Rainbow, crying into her shoulder.<p>

"They're dead, Rainbow Dash..." Scootaloo sobbed pitifully, "MY MOMMY AND DADDY ARE DEAD!"

Rainbow Dash, who was trying to hold back tears herself, simply gave Scootaloo a gentle nuzzle and held her tight.

...

Princess Celestia sighed with remorse as she watched two black bags, each the size of a full-grown pony, being carted away by royal guards. Not only was it a tragedy, but this was far from the first Troll attack... yet every time they checked Equestria's border, the magical wall that lined the border was up and functional. Just then, a muscular, gold-armored white Pegasus with large scars on the side of his face that had long since healed up walked up to her.

"Captain Steelwing," Celestia nodded, "I got your message and arrived as soon as I could. What happened?"  
>Steelwing shook his head. "We had a hay of a shock this mornin', Princess. My squadron was out on patrol when we saw two ponies who had been... well, it was a mess. Troll attack. We identified the bodies as Sunset and Raindrop, and they... well, what was left of 'em was covered in these huge clawmarks. Plus, there were those two-toed footprints everywhere."<br>"Sunset and Raindrop?" Celestia asked, "According to my records, they have a daughter... is there any sign of her?"

"Well, we found these smaller hoofprints runnin' into the woods," Steelwing explained as he pointed with one of his wings to some hoofprints a few feet away from where they were standing. "I bet that was her, but we haven't seen any sign of her beyond that. I hope she's alright."

"I do, too," Celestia said. "We'll see to it that Sunset and Raindrop have a proper burial. In the meantime, have you found any other clues?"

"Affirmitive, Princess," Steelwing said. "In fact, we found something you really need to see – it was the whole reason I called you here. Please, come with me."

Steelwing and Celestia headed towards a spot where some detective unicorns were taking pictures, who bowed when they saw who was approaching. "Gumhoof, show the Princess what we found," Steelwing asked, and one of the detectives, a turquoise unicorn with a purple mane and a brown fedora, used her horn to hold up a bag... that contained a single long, white hair.

As Sunset was orange with a purple mane, and Raindrop was gray with a deep blue mane, the hair couldn't have belonged to either of them... and none of the other ponies around had white manes, either. It had to be a Troll hair... and Celestia knew of only one Troll with white hair.

"Detective, are you certain that this is a Troll hair?" Celestia asked, and Detective Gumhoof nodded.  
>"It sure is, Princess," she said with a noticeable Manehattan accent. "I did some tests, and this hair's got 'Troll' written all over it."<p>

Celestia paused and bit her lip. "There is only one Troll I know of with white hair...Whiteclaw."  
>Detective Gumhoof frowned, and several of the guards and other detectives shared her befuddlement. "Excuse me, Princess... but who's Whiteclaw?"<br>"I can't say I'm surprised you don't know who he is, considering he was last seen... I think it's been 300 years," Celestia said with an understanding nod. "But Whiteclaw was once the king of the Troll civilization. And under his rule, he formed his kingdom into what he called "The Army of Ascension", and they were one of the greatest threats we have ever faced - they were determined to drive us all to extinction. But after two years of a brutal war against his forces, we wiped out nearly their whole civilization, and Luna and I finally got him on his own and imprisoned him in stone."

"Just like you did to Discord," Gumhoof said with a grin.  
>"Exactly," Celestia continued. "But just as we imprisoned Whiteclaw, the cave we were in started to collapse around us, and we had to get out as soon as possible. We made it out of there, but Whiteclaw was buried under tons of rubble... or so we thought. We could have lifted the rocks to get him out, but we felt that he was better off gone."<br>"I see," Gumhoof said. "Thank you for filling me in, Princess. So, you think he may have escaped?"  
>"As much as I hope it isn't the truth... it's looking like a very strong possibility," Celestia said. "White Trolls are extremely rare in the first place, and Whiteclaw killed off any white Trolls other than him so that he would be the only one. Sure, there may have been more white Trolls born since then, but it's a very slim chance."<p>

Gumhoof nodded. "Well, if that's the case, do you think that he's had anything to do with these Troll attacks we've been having?"  
>"There isn't a doubt in my mind," Celestia said. "While we managed to wipe out most of his forces by the end of the war, there are surely still Trolls out there who are loyal to him. At first, I thought that these attacks were attempts to avenge him, but it didn't make sense that they would wait until now, hundreds of years after he was defeated. But if he's truly back, and has reunited with whatever's left of his army... this series of attacks may be worse than we thought. A lot worse."<p>

"But first," Steelwing added, "we need to find out if he really has escaped."  
>"That's right," Gumhoof said. "And we also need to keep an eye out for their daughter. I hope she's okay... the poor girl."<br>"And we need to check the wall again," Steelwing suggested.

Celestia nodded. "Indeed. Detectives, you stay here and search for any more clues."  
>"Will do, Princess," Gumhoof nodded.<br>"Good. Captain Steelwing, get your squadron and do a fly-over of the area. Search for any sign of their daughter. And later, send a team to check the border again. They've got to be getting in somehow."  
>"Right," Steelwing said. But just as he was about to go to his squad...<p>

"Excuse me!"

Everyone looked up, and saw a brown-and-white griffon flying down to the crime scene. Celestia, Steelwing, and Gumhoof approached the griffon as she landed.  
>"I have some information that I think you'll want to know," the griffon said.<br>"Alright," Celestia said, "Go ahead."

...

Hours passed as Scootaloo cried uncontrollably, clinging tightly to Rainbow Dash, who wordlessly hugged her back.

"...we were just on our way to Appleloosa," Scootaloo sobbed, finally able to speak clearly. "We were walking down the path, when this big white Troll jumped outta the woods... we tried to run, but he was just too fast... Mommy and Daddy yelled at me to run. They tried to hold him off so I could get away... and I guess it worked. But..." she started crying again.

"White Troll, you say?" Rainbow asked, and Scootaloo nodded. "Could it be... nah, he's dead and gone." Scootaloo wondered who she was talking about, but was too distraught to press the issue.

"I'm... gonna miss them so much..." Scootaloo sobbed, "My Mommy would sing to me at night... my Daddy taught me how to ride my scooter... what am I gonna do, Rainbow Dash?"  
>"I'll tell you what you're gonna do," Rainbow Dash said, her voice gentle and assuring. "You'll mourn, your heart will ache, and you'll wonder how you're gonna make it... but you're gonna be okay. Because you're the toughest little filly I've ever known."<br>Scootaloo wiped her eyes with her forehoof. "You... really think that?"  
>"I know that," Rainbow said. "Listen, I know what it's like to lose somepony you love. When my uncle Cirrus died, I cried for days and days and days. But ya know what? One day, I realized that crying was never gonna bring him back, and that he would have wanted me to not mourn him, but to look back on all the happy memories I had of him. And look at me now. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly okay to be sad and cry, but you'll get through this. I promise."<p>

Scootaloo wiped her eyes again, and despite her broken heart, she smiled – Rainbow Dash had surprisingly good advice, and was much smarter than she sometimes let on. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash," she said as she gave her idol a hug, "You... you made me feel a little better."  
>"You don't have to thank me," Rainbow said. "Hey... have you got any other family?"<br>"No," Scootaloo sighed. "They've all died... my mom and dad were the last ones left. My family's had really, really bad luck."  
>"Sorry to hear that," Rainbow said, sighing. "But I'll tell you what: How would you like if... well, I became your legal guardian and you lived here? With me?"<p>

Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash with wide, tear-filled eyes, surprised at how far Rainbow was willing to go for her. "You'd... do that?"  
>"Yep," Rainbow said with a kind smile. "I don't know what I have to do for that to happen, but whatever it takes, I'll do it. If that's what you want, of course."<br>Scootaloo just started crying and hugged Rainbow again – but this time, her tears weren't entirely out of sorrow.

"Th...thank you, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Thank you... so much..."  
>"You don't have to thank me," Rainbow said. "I couldn't just leave my little buddy on her own, now, could I? Now it's getting pretty late... we'd better hit the hay."<p>

Scootaloo nodded. "Okay... is this my room?"  
>"Yup," Rainbow Dash nodded. "And tonight, if you don't mind, I'm gonna sleep with you. You've been through a lot, you need all the comfort you can get."<br>"Really?" Scootaloo asked. Rainbow just nodded, and Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around her. Rainbow then reached over to the lamp that was sitting on a nightstand next to the bed and turned it off before putting the blanket over herself and Scootaloo. While Scootaloo was still devastated, she had a warm smile on her face, and snuggled up to her hero, who smiled and wrapped a foreleg around her.

But an idea came to Rainbow Dash, as she remembered how Sunset used to sing to Scootaloo at bedtime. There was no way she was going to fully replace Scootaloo's birth mother, but the least she could do would be to try and make the transition a little smoother.

"Hey, kiddo... would you like me to sing you a little lullaby?"  
>"I'd love that," Scootaloo replied. "Know any good ones?"<br>Rainbow thought back, and thought back on her own days as a filly. While it wasn't a nightly occasion, Rainbow's mother did sing to her... and one song stood out from the rest.  
>"Okay, here goes," Rainbow said, and she closed her eyes and began to softly sing:<p>

"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed..."

Despite her somewhat scratchy voice, Rainbow Dash was a surprisingly good singer. But suddenly, her lullaby was interrupted by... giggling?  
>"What's so funny?" Rainbow asked with a chuckle, "I didn't think my singing was THAT bad..."<br>"Oh, no, you're awesome," Scootaloo replied, "It's just... let me just say that it's a good thing Sweetie Belle isn't here."  
>"Really?" Rainbow asked, "Why is that?"<br>"Well... just imagine that same song, only like 50 times louder."

Rainbow Dash shook her head with a smile - if anything, at least she made Scootaloo laugh, and after seeing her so heartbroken all day, it really meant a lot. "Alright, let's call it a night," she said kindly, "Goodnight, Scoots. Tomorrow will be a better day... I promise."  
>"I hope so," Scootaloo said, sounding distant, but she followed it up with a happier "Goodnight, Rainbow Dash."<p>

A rather rough night followed for both of them. Just when they would get to sleep, Scootaloo would wake up and start crying again, and Rainbow would comfort her the best she could.  
>But over the night, Scootaloo was pleasantly surprised by just how Rainbow treated her. While she had always loved and adored Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo had to admit that she could be a bit harsh and even rude at times. But over the whole night, not once did Rainbow become even the slightest bit annoyed at being kept awake. Instead, she would hold Scootaloo and give her a kind nuzzle, while giving her reassuring words and gently and soothingly shushing her.<p>

If Scootaloo didn't love Rainbow Dash as a surrogate big sister role model, and even motherly figure before, she definitely did now.


	3. Healing

A week had passed since the deaths of Sunset and Raindrop. And for all seven days, Scootaloo took refuge in the home of Rainbow Dash, not daring to step foot outside until she was confident that she would be able to go for ten minutes without breaking down in tears. She even skipped school; Rainbow Dash explained the whole thing to Scootaloo's teacher Cheerilee, who was very understanding, and set aside makeup schoolwork for Scootaloo when she returned. And Rainbow Dash took the week off from her job as a weatherpony to take care of Scootaloo, telling her employers that there had been a death in the family.

On Friday, a detective pony named Gumhoof stopped by to question Scootaloo about the deaths of her parents. Even though Rainbow Dash offered to speak for her, Scootaloo opted to answer Gumhoof's questions herself. She thought that talking about it would help her recover, and she was right: After Gumhoof thanked her, expressed her sympathies, and left to bring the report to Princess Celestia, Scootaloo felt that the weight on her shoulders had become just a little smaller.

But then Saturday came... the day of the funeral, and the day that Scootaloo watched as her mother and father were buried at Ponyville Cemetery. She wanted to give an eulogy, but just couldn't say a word without crying. But as much as saying goodbye to her mother and father broke Scootaloo's heart... she was truly touched by how many ponies had gathered to pay their respects. Rainbow Dash was there, of course, and so were her five best friends Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Scootaloo's best friends and fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, were also in attendance. Cheerilee was there, and had brought most of her class, and Mayor Mare gave the eulogy. It was a beautiful service.

Afterwards, Scootaloo stood with Rainbow Dash at the gravestones of Sunset and Raindrop, which sat side-by-side under a large oak tree on the edge of the cemetery. Scootaloo was still heartbroken by her loss, but seeing her parents' gravestones also gave her a sense of closure. And looking up at Rainbow Dash, who had promised her so much and taken such good care of her over the last week, Scootaloo decided that it was time to move on.

"Hey, Rainbow..." Scootaloo said, "I think it's time that I got back on my hooves."  
>"You sure about that, Scoot?" Rainbow asked. "Remember, it's okay to take your time."<br>"I know," Scootaloo said with a nod, "But I've been thinking about what you said, and you're right. Crying all day isn't gonna bring 'em back. Besides, I miss hanging out with my friends, riding my scooter, exploring in the woods, doing cool stuff with you..." She then looked up at Rainbow Dash with a confident smile. "I'm ready."

"Up and at 'em, kiddo," Rainbow said as she gave Scootaloo a hug. "Listen, I gotta run by Town Hall and pick up your adoption papers. You wanna come with me?"  
>"I'd love to," Scootaloo said, "But I'm gonna go find Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They said they'd be over at Lake Canter... we've got some catching up to do!"<br>"That's cool," Rainbow said with a nod. "I bet they've missed ya." She then bent over and spread her wings out. "Hop on, I'll fly you there."

Scootaloo was about to climb onto Rainbow Dash's back, when she stopped and frowned. "Wait a minute..."  
>She turned to face her parents' gravestones, put a forehoof on each, closed her eyes, and whispered so softly that Rainbow couldn't understand her, but still had a solid idea of what she was saying.<p>

After a few moments that were silent apart from the rustle of the wind blowing through the fall leaves, Scootaloo turned around and climbed onto Rainbow's back. Much like with her cutie mark, Scootaloo was a late bloomer when it came to flight, which often frustrated her as she always needed to be flown around by either her mother or father. But considering that her ride this time was Rainbow Dash, she didn't mind too much. She began to regret not savoring those moments with her parents, but quickly blocked those thoughts from her mind.

"You comfy?" Rainbow asked as Scootaloo settled down on her back, and Scootaloo nodded.  
>"Cool. Now hold on tight!" Rainbow Dash said with a grin, and Scootaloo did as told. Rainbow then took flight - at first she flew slowly as a sign of respect at the cemetery, but as soon as she got away from it...<p>

"Alright kiddo, now hold on as tight as you can. You've been through a lot, so what do you say we had a little fun? I won't do a Sonic Rainboom or anything, but I'll get us there in ten... no, FIVE seconds FLAT!"  
>Scootaloo simply smiled and held onto Rainbow's shoulders even more tightly. Rainbow looked back to check that Scootaloo was holding on tightly enough, and then gave a confident smirk.<br>"You ready? It'll be AWESOME!"  
>"Let's do it, Rainbow!"<br>"Okay... Here... we... GO!"

And with that, Rainbow Dash suddenly turned from a pegasus flying at a leisurely pace to a cyan-colored rocket leaving a rainbow trail in its wake. Scootaloo was a bit scared at first, but a smile soon spread across her face, and her eyes lit up with joy. The wind blowing through her mane and blasting against her face, the trees, hills, mountains and houses becoming a mere blur, the fact that she was clinging to her hero as they flew at full speed - it thrilled Scootaloo so much that she couldn't help but let out a shout of sheer joy. Only recently had she become comfortable enough to ride Rainbow Dash while in flight, and it was some of the most fun she'd ever had. But never before had they gone this fast... and she was loving every second of it.

For the first time in quite a while, Scootaloo was happy again. And so was Rainbow Dash.

After a few more moments of flight, Rainbow Dash slowed down and eventually stopped at the edge of Lake Canter, landing on a small grassy knoll overlooking the shore.

"You okay?" Rainbow asked, and Scootaloo nodded with elation.  
>"That was AWESOME!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "We GOTTA do that again!"<br>Rainbow Dash smiled with satisfaction. After spending nearly an entire week watching Scootaloo heartbroken and crying, seeing the little filly back to her usual self filled her heart with joy. "Glad you liked it," she grinned. "But word of advice, kiddo: you may wanna keep your mouth shut when we're flying this fast. Unless you wanna spend like ten minutes brushing the bugs out of your teeth." She then frowned uncomfortably. "I learned that the hard way…"

"Okay, will do," Scootaloo said. "That sounds… gross."  
>"You better believe it," Rainbow frowned, but then she gave a cocky grin. "So, what'd I tell ya? 5 seconds flat! Actually… now that I think about it… it was closer to 3 seconds! Ooh yeah!" she finished with a hoof pump.<p>

Scootaloo pumped her hoof in response, and then looked around. "Now, where are-"  
>Suddenly, Apple Bloom's head popped out of the lake, wearing a red diving mask. "Scootaloo!" she cried out with a mixture of delight and surprise, "Me an' Sweetie are lookin' for seashells! You wanna look with us? We bought an extra divin' mask..."<br>"You kidding?" Scootaloo said with a grin, "It's been far too long since we've done this stuff!"  
>But Rainbow frowned. "Erm, I hate to break it to you guys, but I don't think you're gonna find seashells in a lake. They'd be... y'know, near the sea..."<p>

Suddenly, Sweetie Belle's head popped out of the lake, wearing a green diving mask, and she held up a huge conch shell. "LOOK WHAT I FOUND!"

Rainbow Dash just shook her head and smiled. "Heh. Shows what I know about lakes. You guys have fun now, okay? I'll find ya in about an hour."  
>"Okay," Scootaloo said, "But one more thing..." Before joining Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, she ran up to Rainbow and gave her a hug.<br>"Thanks... for everything. I don't know what I would have done without you, Rainbow Dash."  
>"You don't have to thank me, Squirt," Rainbow said as she hugged Scootaloo back. "Now go have fun."<p>

As Rainbow Dash flew off, Scootaloo ran to the shore, where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had come ashore and nudged their masks up. As she approached, her two friends trotted over to her and grabbed her in a group hug.  
>"Scootaloo, you're here!" Sweetie Belle grinned, "We've missed you!"<br>"We sure have," Apple Bloom said, "I'm glad yer feelin' better."  
>"I've missed you guys, too," Scootaloo smiled. "And thanks. I'm really gonna miss my mom and dad... but at least I've still got you and Rainbow Dash."<p>

...

Rainbow Dash was deep in thought as she flew towards Ponyville's Town Hall, the orange blur of fall leaves rushing past her and the wind blowing through her mane. Rainbow had a history of being impulsive, and her volunteering to adopt Scootaloo was just the latest example... only now was she beginning to realize that she was taking on a heap of responsibility.

Despite being one of - if not THE - greatest flyers in Equestria, and being able to perform amazing aerial feats in mere seconds, Rainbow Dash could also be very lazy, often spending hours just lying on a cloud, watching the world go by. But with Scootaloo under her wing, she was going to have to step her act up in a major way: Waking up early to get Scootaloo up for school, making sure she did her homework, feeding her, caring for her when she got sick, celebrating her birthday... it was going to be a lot of work.

"Hey, Rainbow!"

Rainbow Dash's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a familiar voice call her name, and she came to a stop and looked down. Sure enough, Applejack was looking up at her, wearing a saddle with a big bag on it in addition to her trademark cowmare hat.

"Oh, hiya, Applejack," Rainbow Dash said, and she landed in front of her. "What's up?"  
>"Oh, just in town buyin' a new blanket," Applejack said, motioning to the bag on her back. "Ah kinda needed a new one after Apple Bloom used mah old one as her Super Filly cape, so Ah figured Ah might as well pick one up on the way home from the funeral. So, uh, how's Scootaloo?"<br>"Doing much better," Rainbow smiled. "Scoot's over at the lake with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle right now. Don't get me wrong, she's still real torn up over it... but she's ready to move on. Told me that herself."  
>Applejack smiled. "Glad to hear it. Ah was really worried about her. Ah know what it's like to lose your folks... shouldn't happen to anypony. Ah never knew her parents, but they seemed like real nice ponies... who's gonna take care of her now? D'ya know?"<p>

"I'm going to," Rainbow Dash replied with confidence. "She doesn't have any family left, so I'll take her in. I'm on my way to the courthouse to get her adoption papers."  
>But Applejack frowned and put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulders. "Now, hold on just a minute, sugarcube. D'ya have any idea what you're gettin' into? Ah care about her too, but... that's a lotta responsibility you're takin' on."<br>"I know," Rainbow said. "But I'll be damned if she ends up in some orphanage."  
>"Ah agree," Applejack said. "But... Rainbow, d'ya really think you can handle it? And think about the future: What if havin' Scootaloo to take care of ends up messin' with your chances to join the Wonderbolts?"<p>

"First of all, I'll do whatever it takes," Rainbow said, "I owe her that much. And second of all, Spitfire has three colts and a filly, and look at her. I think I'll be fine."

"Really?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow, and Rainbow Dash nodded. "Dang, that's a lotta kids.. Ah didn't know that."  
>"I do," Rainbow grinned. "I know everything there is to know about the Wonderbolts. Seriously... ask me anything."<p>

Applejack smirked, eager to challenge Rainbow's claim. "Alright... name all four of Spitfire's ki-"  
>"Fireball, Cinder, Rainrush, and Billy," Rainbow quickly answered.<br>"Okay, how old are th-"  
>"Fireball and Billy are 5, Cinder's 4, and Rainrush is 7."<br>"Oookay. Who's the fath-"  
>"Sunscream."<br>"How long have the Wonderbolts been aro-"  
>"60 years."<br>"How many members have they had over the yea-"  
>"40 total."<br>"Who founded the-"  
>"Firefly."<p>

"Whoa," Applejack said, "You know your Wonderbolts."  
>"Yeah, baby!" Rainbow grinned. "Anyway, I better get going. See ya!"<br>"Yeah, see ya, Rainbow," Applejack said. "Just... don't do anything ya might regret."  
>"I won't."<p>

"And, well... if ya find that things don't work out very well, there's always room for one more at Sweet Apple Acres."

Rainbow frowned, flew up in Applejack's face, and she was so close that their noses were touching. "You think that I can't take care of Scootaloo?"  
>"Well, uh... Ah don't mean to insult ya, but Ah have mah doubts, yeah," Applejack admitted. "Ah don't mean any offense, but do ya really think you'll be able to give Scootaloo what she needs? Ah don't just mean, bein' her hero, Ah mean bein' a parent. Wakin' her up in time for school, makin' sure she does her homework, takin' care of her, bein' there for her when some colt breaks her heart... and Ah'm sorry, Rainbow. Maybe you'll surprise me, but Ah just don't see ya havin' the discipline it takes."<p>

Rainbow cooled down a bit - she knew that Applejack meant well, and she had raised some good points. "AJ, don't think I haven't already thought about that. I... well, I know I'm not exactly Mother of the Year material, and I'm gonna have to step my game up big time." From her tone, it was clear that Rainbow wasn't used to admitting that she had faults. "And I know it's not gonna be easy. But Scootaloo needs me now more than ever, and I'm not gonna let her down for anything."  
>Applejack smiled. "Alrighty. But remember, mah offer still stands."<p>

Rainbow Dash gave her a quick salute before darting off towards Town Hall.

"Ah sure hope she knows what she's doing..." Applejack thought as she watched her friend fly away. For as long as she had known the pegasus, Rainbow Dash had been an incredible friend, even if they did get into disagreements quite frequently. But Applejack was deeply concerned about Rainbow's decision to adopt Scootaloo. While Rainbow had matured a lot since Applejack first met her, she was still overly impulsive and often didn't think things through before doing them. But in admitting to her faults - which was a rare occurrence for her - Rainbow had shown maturity that gave Applejack some faith that she really would be the mother figure Scootaloo needed.

She just hoped that her faith in Rainbow was well-placed.

At the other end of town, Rainbow Dash landed in front of Ponyville Town Hall and was about to walk through its oak double doors, when they suddenly swung open and a crowd of ponies - some of them royal guards, some of them reporters, some of them simply ponies in suits - poured out. Taking the lead was a well dressed, well groomed unicorn stallion with a slicked-back, black mane, grey fur, and striking red eyes, and judging by the look on his face, he was having a very good day. But he was soon approached by a reporter unicorn who walked along side him, holding up a microphone.

"Mr. Persano, the jury has just found you not guilty in the death of Mr. Beatsnare," the reporter hurriedly asked. "Do you have any comments?"  
>The grey unicorn - Clyde Persano himself - smirked at the reporter. "I sure do. I'm glad to see that justice was served. And let me tell ya something: I will take it upon myself to find out exactly how Mr. Beatsnare died, and ensure that nothing like it happens again."<p>

"That's very noble of you," the reporter continued. "But I'm sure you're aware that several ponies who knew Mr. Beatsnare - especially his widow - adamantly believe that you had a hoof in his death. Is there anything you would like to say to them?"  
>"Yep," Persano said, keeping his smug demeanor despite growing annoyed with the reporter's questions. "Mr. Beatsnare was a great stallion, and a great friend. I'll really miss him. While his friends and family may think that I did it, I just have four words for 'em: The court doesn't lie."<p>

The crowd then reached a long, sleek carriage with a coat of shiny black paint, pulled by four pegasi wearing suits and sunglasses. Persano then climbed into the back chamber of the carriage as another pegasus held the door open, and before the reporters could ask any more questions, the carriage took off. Rainbow Dash, who had watched the whole thing, groaned with disgust.

She may not have paid much attention to news that didn't have to do with the Wonderbolts or the weather, but even she knew that Clyde Persano was one of the most notorious mobsters to ever come from Manehattan - he even used to work with Al Capony before the latter was arrested on tax evasion charges. But it seemed that everywhere Persano went, all kinds of trouble followed... and every time he was arrested or tried in court, his crooked legal team ensured that he walked away a free stallion. And in this case, it looked as if he had literally gotten away with murder.

"Alright, enough of that slimeball," Rainbow Dash said to herself, "I've got some papers to sign."

...

After spending the better part of an hour searching in the lake for seashells, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had taken their finds to the shore and were comparing them, rather argumentatively.

"I found the biggest seashell!" Sweetie Belle insisted.  
>"No, I did!" Apple Bloom argued. "Look at it, it's like... 2 inches bigger!"<br>"You guys, MINE'S the biggest!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "It's longer AND taller!"  
>"Is not!"<br>"Is too!"  
>"Is not!"<br>"IS TOO!"

"Actually, they all look about the same size to me."

All three fillies looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering above them with a smirk on her face. "I don't think you're gonna get your cutie marks by arguing. Then again, that Snails kid has a snail for his mark, so... who knows."

Rainbow landed in front of them, and Scootaloo rushed up to her. "Guess what, kiddo?" Rainbow asked with a grin. "It went through. From now on, you're livin' with me."  
>Scootaloo's eyes lit up, and a big smile spread across her face. "Really? That's it?"<br>"Well, I have a piece of paper in my bag I need ya to sign when we get home," Rainbow said, motioning to a saddlebag on her back that she bought while she was in town.. "But after that, it's a done deal."

As Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle smiled at the cuteness of the moment, and let out a collective "Awwwwww!" In response, Scootaloo looked back at them and groaned "Hey - don't make this gross!"

Rainbow Dash chuckled and let go of Scootaloo. "You ready to go, kiddo? We better head home, the sun's starting to set."  
>"Yeah," Scootaloo said. "Just one thing."<p>

Scootaloo ran over to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and grabbed them both in a hug. "Thanks, guys... I've missed hanging out with you. You made me feel loads better."  
>"Anytime!" Apple Bloom said.<br>"We missed you too," Sweetie Belle added. "Hey... do you wanna take your shell with you?"  
>Scootaloo instantly shook her head. "Nah. It didn't get us our Cutie Marks, so what's the point? Besides, I don't want Rainbow Dash hauling that thing back home. Well... see you later."<p>

Scootaloo waved goodbye to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as she hopped up on Rainbow Dash's back, and they took off for Rainbow's house, though at a slower speed than they did on the way to the lake. While she absolutely loved flying at the speed of light, Rainbow also enjoyed flying slowly and taking in all the sights of Equestria.

"Hey... Rainbow Dash?"  
>"Yeah, Scoots?"<br>"Do I have to call you "Mom" now?" Scootaloo asked. "I mean, it's okay if I do, it'd just be-"  
>"Nah, don't worry about it," Rainbow said. "Just call me by my name. I don't blame ya a bit for not wanting to, I'll never be able to replace your mom." She then sighed. "Hey, can you do me a favor?"<br>"What is it?" Scootaloo asked.  
>"If I ever get too lazy, or act kinda rude to you... can you tell me?" Rainbow asked. "I, well, I know I'm... not perfect, and I don't wanna do you wrong."<p>

"What are you talking about?" Scootaloo exclaimed, "You ARE perfect!"  
>"Perfect at flying, maybe," Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle. "But... well, I don't say this a lot, but even I've got some problems. And if I show any of 'em, just let me know. Can you do that for me, Scoots?"<br>"You can count on me," Scootaloo said with a nod and a grin.

...

On the way home, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo realized that they didn't eat dinner, so they stopped by a fast food restaurant before heading home. A few moments later, the pair arrived at Rainbow's house just as Celestia's sun was almost completely over the horizon, painting the sky a glorious orange. As they landed on the porch, Scootaloo hopped off, and noticed just how great the house's view of Ponyville and the surrounding landscape was. The lights of Ponyville were just starting to turn on, tall mountains jutted out of the ground far off in the horizon, and even Canterlot Castle was visible far off in the distance.

"Whoa, you have an awesome view," Scootaloo said in awe. "I haven't really noticed it before."  
>"Pretty impressive, huh?" Rainbow said, nudging Scootaloo in the shoulder. "One day, I'm gonna show you some REALLY cool views. But c'mon, let's go in. It's getting chilly out."<p>

Scootaloo followed Rainbow Dash inside, who closed the door behind them. "Alright, let's get this signature out of the way," Rainbow said. She took Scootaloo to her kitchen table, rummaged around in her saddlebag, and pulled out an ornate sheet of paper and set it on the table.

"Just a sec," Rainbow said before heading out of the kitchen, and she came back moments later holding a pen with a circular handle that fit around ponies' hooves. "Here, use this. Some ponies prefer quills, but I like pens way better. Writing with a big feather... it just sorta rubs me the wrong way, y'know?"  
>"Yep," Scootaloo said. "If you're a pegasus, you might as well just pluck one of your own feathers out and write with it. Kinda creepy. But anyway..." She fit the pen around her hoof and scribbled her signature with it, "...done."<p>

"Good deal," Rainbow Dash said with a smile, and she took the paper and slipped it into an envelope, which was already outfitted with the address and stamp. "I'll just drop this baby in the mail, and..."

"Hey, Tank!" Scootaloo said excitedly as Rainbow's pet tortoise slowly walked into the room, the flying device that Twilight Sparkle made for him still fastened to his shell. He kept to himself most of the time - Scootaloo had barely even seen him since Gilda brought her to Rainbow's house - but he still enjoyed company every now and then.  
>"Hey buddy," Rainbow said, stooping down to pat him on his small head. "Ya hungry?"<br>Tank slowly nodded his head.  
>"Okay, celery and carrots comin' riiight up," Rainbow said. "Scoots, can ya drop that letter in the mailbox for me?"<p>

"Of course!" Scootaloo said, eager to please.  
>"Awesome," Rainbow Dash said. "You know where it is, right? Right past the porch?"<br>"Yep," Scootaloo said confidently, nodding. "I'll be right back."  
>"Just be careful," Rainbow added. "Don't fall off!"<br>"I won't."

As Rainbow Dash prepared a plate with a stack of celery and carrots on it for Tank, Scootaloo headed out the door and took a moment to look around. By now, Celestia's sun had been replaced in the sky with Luna's moon, and the path to Rainbow's mailbox - going through the cloud yard in front of her porch - was lined with lanterns to light the way. As she walked to the mailbox with the envelope in tow, Scootaloo's mind was a mixture of emotions: While she would never completely be over her parents' deaths, she was going to live with Rainbow Dash - her hero and idol! It was a dream come true... Scootaloo just wished that it had come about in a much different manner.

Scootaloo reached the mailbox and slipped the envelope inside, but before heading back inside, she stood for a few moments and looked out at the view of Equestria under Luna's night. Ponyville was now represented by a bunch of lights, as were most of the other towns in the distance. The tall mountains off in the horizon were now black silhouettes against the deep blue starry sky. And perhaps most impressively, the lights of Canterlot Castle were bright and visible, even from this distance.

"Hey Scoots, come on in!" Rainbow Dash called from the porch, "It's colder than a cow's udder out here!"

"A cow's udder?" Scootaloo laughed as she ran back to the porch - she was so wrapped up in her own thoughts and the great view of Equestria that she didn't notice just how cold it was. She followed Rainbow Dash inside, and they closed the door. Tank had just finished the last bit of celery that Rainbow had given him, much to Scootaloo's surprise.

"Boy, that was quick!"  
>"If there's one thing that tortoise is fast at, it's eating," Rainbow said with a snicker as Scootaloo sat next to Tank and massaged the back of his neck.<br>"Guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other, huh?" Scootaloo asked Tank, who simply looked up at her and smiled slowly.

"Okay squirt," Rainbow said, "Now that we've got everything set up, it's time to go over the rules." Scootaloo continued to massage Tank's neck and listened attentively as Rainbow started to go over the rules.

"Rule numero uno, don't go off anywhere without checking with me first," Rainbow said. "Especially since we've got a Troll problem... and I know that neither you or me want to ever see one of those things again." Scootaloo nodded.  
>"Good. Rule number two... now, this is gonna be pretty hard for me to enforce, since I can be pretty darn lazy... but do your schoolwork. And if you ever need help, just let me know! I'll be happy to help ya out."<br>"Okay," Scootaloo said, nodding again.  
>"Alright. And Rule Number 3..." Rainbow then smiled and stood on her hind legs and raised her forelegs into the air excitedly. "Have fun!"<p>

"Aw, that's an easy one," Scootaloo grinned. "It's impossible not to have fun with you."  
>"Quit it," Rainbow said with a bashful grin, "You're gonna make me blush! Anyway, we better hit the hay. We've got a lot to do tomorrow."<br>"Like what?" Scootaloo asked.  
>"Like getting everything you want from your old house," Rainbow said, her smile fading a bit - especially when Scootaloo's enthusiasm deflated like a balloon. "I know, it's not gonna be easy," Rainbow added, "but we gotta do it at some point. Might as well get it over with. I'll get a moving team tomorrow morning, and we'll have it done in no time."<p>

"Okay," Scootaloo said, but she followed her words with a yawn.  
>"We better get you in bed," Rainbow Dash said with a grin. "C'mon."<br>Scootaloo followed Rainbow Dash to the guest bedroom that was now her room, and crawled under the covers.  
>"You think you can sleep on your own tonight?" Rainbow asked, "If you wanna sleep with me again, that's cool."<br>"Thanks, but I think I can sleep by myself now," Scootaloo said with a tired grin. "But thanks for sleeping with me... you made me feel so much better."

"Oh, anytime," Rainbow said with a grin. "Goodnight, squirt."  
>Scootaloo responded by grabbing her and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Rainbow Dash. I know I'm sounding kinda like a broken record, but thank you so much. For everything."<br>"Hey, I said you didn't have to thank me," Rainbow said, still smiling from Scootaloo's kiss. She had always thought highly of Scootaloo, but was really starting to adore her now. "But you're welcome."

After giving Scootaloo a kiss on the cheek, Rainbow left the bedroom and closed the door behind her. Scootaloo then rested her head on the soft, fluffy cloud pillow, still smiling from Rainbow's kiss, and within moments she was dozing off.

...

Rainbow Dash sighed with satisfaction as she and Tank walked into her own bedroom and closed the door. While she may have had some concerns in her own abilities earlier that day, now she had a very good feeling that everything was going to work out just fine.

With a yawn, Rainbow lied down in her bed, pulled a blanket with her cutie mark on it up over her, and watched to make sure Tank successfully got up on the bed using his flying device. Satisfied as the tortoise's limbs and head retracted into his shell, she closed her eyes and started to drift off to sleep.

BZAM!

Rainbow Dash shot up out of bed, startled by the loud noise - which sounded like fireworks - coming from somewhere outside. Tank, who had hopped up a few inches in the air out of fright, looked just as bewildered as she did. Just then, the noise repeated itself, and then repeated itself again.

"For Luna's sake!" Rainbow groaned as she held her cloud pillow over her ears, but it did no good - she could still hear the loud noises, which were repeating on an increasingly rapid frequency.

After a moment of trying to ignore the sounds, Rainbow Dash tossed aside the pillow and hovered out of her room - she was going outside to find out what the noise was. But before going out, she quietly opened Scootaloo's door to check on her... and surprisingly, the filly was sound asleep.

"Jeez, she's a sound sleeper..." Rainbow mused, before silently closing the door and heading outside. A quick glance around revealed what looked to be the source of the noises - a small house on the outskirts of Ponyville, its windows flashing red and blue each time the noise went off.

"You have got to be kidding me. Some jerk's making a light show in their house, at this hour? Well, it ain't gonna last..."

In a flash, Rainbow Dash dove off of her cloud lawn and flew towards the offending house. After landing at the front door, she looked around and saw that many other houses had their bedroom lights on - Rainbow wasn't the only pony whose night was disturbed. So with a groan and a roll of her eyes, Rainbow started to hammer her hoof on the front door.

"YO, KEEP IT DOWN IN THERE! THERE'S PONIES OUT HERE TRYIN' TO SLEEP, YOU INCONSIDERATE JERKWAD!"

Immediately, the lights and sounds came to a halt, and in a few seconds, the door started to open. A unicorn mare with white fur, wild, electric blue hair, purple-tinted sunglasses, and a musical note for a cutie mark came out, looking rather angry herself.

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST BUCK OFF!" the mare yelled. But the anger faded from her face, and she sighed, having realized what was going on. "Look, I'm sorry, it's just that... I'm kind of in a bad mood right now, y'know?"

Rainbow Dash was too surprised to reply at first: She recognized this mare as DJ PON-3, one of Canterlot's most popular and influential music producers! "Hey... aren't you DJ PON-3?"  
>"That I am," DJ PON-3 nodded with a grin. "But you can call me Vinyl Scratch when I'm offstage."<br>A big smile spread across Rainbow Dash's face. "This is so awesome! I'm a big fan of your work - I really loved your production on that last Knight Shade album. That was fuuuunk-ay with a capitol F."

"Thanks," Vinyl Scratch said. "But wait a minute... I think I know you, too. You didn't happen to take part in some really Discordawful fashion show, did you?"  
>Rainbow blushed, embarrassed by the memories of horribly tacky dresses and Rarity going crazy and locking herself in Carousel Botique. "Uh... yeah, I did. I was the one with the helmet."<br>"I thought I had seen a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane before," Vinyl said with an amused smirk. "I did the beats for the gig, and man, did that show suck. Erm, no offense."  
>"None taken," Rainbow chuckled. "So anyway, what are you doing here in Ponyville? And more importantly, why are you having a light and sound show in your house?"<p>

"I just got here yesterday morning," Vinyl Scratch explained. "Guess I just got sick of the hustle and bustle of Canterlot and wanted to go somewhere a little quieter. As for your second question, uh... there was a rat in the house. Honest."  
>Rainbow Dash laughed and shook her head. "Jeez, and here I never thought I'd find a worse liar than my friend Applejack. But I guess it's none of my business. Just cut it out, okay?"<br>"Will do," Vinyl said. "Sorry about that, uh... I didn't get your name."

"The name's Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow boasted, even hovering up in the air to strike a pose. "Remember it!"  
>"Okay, I will, Rainbow Dash," Vinyl Scratch said with a grin. "Well, I'm gonna go to bed. See ya later."<br>"Yeah, later!" Rainbow said, and with that, she took off for home.

After watching Rainbow Dash leave, Vinyl Scratch looked around at the homes that she had undoubtedly woken up, and groaned in shame. She had been so blinded by anger and hate that she didn't realize what she was doing. Vinyl walked back inside and closed the door behind her, and her eyes went to her target - a large photo of Clyde Persano, taken off the front page of the Equestrian Enquirer, that was pinned to the wall.

Her face contorted in a scowl, Vinyl walked up to the picture, grabbed it off the wall, and tore it in half. She then stomped on its remains with her forehooves, and even spit on it for good measure.

"You're gonna get yours, wiseguy," Vinyl whispered with a quiet rage, "You're gonna get yours..."


	4. Ghosts

Scootaloo woke up, and for a moment she was uncertain of her surroundings. Was she waking up at her old house, a plate full of pancakes and hugs from her mother and father waiting for her downstairs... or did something horrible happen, and she was waking up in the home of her hero and adoptive mother? But as she took the room's features into account, Scootaloo quickly realized that it was the latter situation.

"You'd think I'd be used to this after.. well, a freakin' week," she muttered to herself. Indeed, she had since come to grips with her parents' deaths, and was looking forward to living with none other than Rainbow Dash. But despite this, she still wasn't fully over her loss.

After gaining her bearings, Scootaloo's nose crinkled as she noticed a strong odor in the air. It smelled like... burnt toast?  
>"GAAAAH! STUPID TOASTER!" Rainbow Dash yelled from downstairs, her voice so loud that Scootaloo could hear it even through her closed door, "THE HAY WITH THIS! DEFECTIVE PIECE OF-"<p>

Scootaloo couldn't help but giggle as she heard Rainbow Dash yell a word that her parents had urged her to never, ever say. Her best guess was that Rainbow was trying to make breakfast, but was having some difficulties, to say the least. After brushing her teeth in the bathroom, Scootaloo headed downstairs and into the kitchen, where she saw Rainbow Dash pouring two bowls of cereal with a disgruntled look on her face as the toaster sat on the counter, smoke billowing from its two slots.

"Good morning, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said with an amused, knowing smile.  
>"Oh, mornin', Squirt," Rainbow said as she closed up the cereal box - Scootaloo recognized it as Sugarcube Bits, her favorite brand - and started to pour milk into the two bowls. But suddenly her eyes went wide, her wings spread out, and she got a mortified look on her face. "Oh... Scootaloo!" Rainbow exclaimed, sounding embarrassed, "Please tell me you didn't hear me..."<p>

But Scootaloo nodded, and Rainbow groaned. "Aw, I'm sorry you had to hear that, Squirt. Guess I'm still not used to having a little filly around the house... I better work on it, huh?"  
>"That's right, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said sternly, her brow furrowed. "Now go to the bathroom and wash your mouth out with soap, right now!" But as soon as Scootaloo finished, her stern demeanor broke and she started to laugh. "Just kidding. Don't worry about it, my dad used to cuss all the time!"<p>

"Oh, really?" Rainbow Dash said as she put the milk back in her expensive-looking refrigerator - clearly, her job as a weather pony paid well. She stood on her hind legs and leaned against the counter, her forelegs crossed on the counter's light grey top. "He always seemed like such a quiet guy..."  
>"You never watched pegasus races with him, then," Scootaloo said with an amused, yet wistful, smile. "He got so bad one race that Mom had to get out a swear jar!"<br>"You have gotta be kidding me," Rainbow said with a laugh, and she slid one of the bowls of cereal across the counter to Scootaloo. "Now come on, let's eat. Hope you like Sugarcube Bits."

Scootaloo answered by grabbing the bowl, her face lit up with an eager smile. "Are you kiddin' me? This is my favorite!"  
>"Cool," Rainbow Dash said as she got a spoonful, "Mine too."<br>Scootaloo became even more excited, her eyes lit up with joy. "You mean..."  
>"Yes, Squirt," Rainbow said with a wry grin, "We like the same cereal."<br>"AWESOME!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she pumped her forehoof, and then started quickly eating the cereal. Rainbow smiled with satisfaction, happy that Scootaloo was back to her normal self. But then she remembered that it may not last through the day's planned events, and leaned in closer.

"Hey, I got a hold of Derpy this morning when she brought the mail," Rainbow explained. "I asked her about helping us move all your stuff to here, and she said she'd be happy to. After breakfast, we'll head over there... but if you don't think you're ready, you can stay here. We'll handle it."  
>Scootaloo shook her head. "No, I'll go. I sorta feel like I have to. And it'll be good seeing the place... one last time..." she said, becoming noticeably distant.<br>"Well, just let me know if you change your mind," Rainbow said. "I'd understand." Scootaloo nodded and kept eating her cereal, but she was noticeably less enthusiastic than she had been just a few minutes ago.

As they ate, Rainbow Dash reached across the counter and pulled the morning's edition of the Equestrian Enquirer towards her. "Let's see what's happening in the world." But as soon as she saw the front cover, her face went blank.

WHITECLAW IS FREE

The shocking title was accompanied by an illustration of the white Troll - he had last been seen hundreds of years before cameras had even been invented yet. As the illustration of Whiteclaw snarled back at Rainbow, she felt a chill move down her spine.

"Scoots... I think you better look at this," Rainbow said. Scootaloo craned her neck to look closer, but when Rainbow showed her the cover, she let out an audible gasp.

"That's HIM!" Scootaloo exclaimed, the hairs on her neck standing on end as memories of her encounter with Whiteclaw came rushing back. "That's the Troll!"  
>Rainbow sighed. "Let's read this... 'Whiteclaw, the Troll King who attempted to drive Equestrians to genocide, has gone free after being sealed in stone by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna and thought to be dead for centuries after his prison was buried in a cave-in.'" Rainbow started to skim, scanning the article for the most relevant information. "'After Sunset and Raindrop were found dead on the night of October 4th, an investigation turned up a white Troll hair at the crime scene.'"<p>

"That sounds about right," Scootaloo said glumly.

Rainbow continued reading. "'Princess Celestia and Princess Luna immediately flew to the site of Whiteclaw's defeat, and found a hole in the hill in which he was buried, surrounded by fresh rubble and two-toed footprints. The Princesses immediately sent units of Equestrian soldiers to pursue Whiteclaw and have increased border security, as it is believed that Whiteclaw is headed to the Uncharted Land. In the meantime, citizens are advised to keep away from forested areas if possible. If you see Whiteclaw, avoid him at all costs and report to the nearest Royal Guard.'"

As she finished reading the article, Rainbow Dash sighed again. "Scary stuff..."  
>"You can say that again," Scootaloo said, clearly shaken. "I hope they don't show that thing ANY mercy."<br>"Don't worry, they'll get 'im," Rainbow said. "And if he ever comes back for you... he'll have to go through me."

A brief flicker of a smile came to Scootaloo's face, happy that she was in such good hooves, but was quickly replaced by a frown. "Hey... Rainbow?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"What if the Princess sends you and the others after him?" Scootaloo asked, the worry obvious in her expression. She still had mental scars from when Rainbow and the rest of the Element holders were sent after Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony, and she nearly lost her best friend. "I mean, they used the elements of harmony to seal Whiteclaw in stone... and since they can't use them anymore..."

"Don't worry," Rainbow Dash said, offering an assuring smile. "I'm not gonna leave ya. Besides, Nightmare Moon and Discord? They were freakin' Gods. Whiteclaw's just a Troll. You can kill Trolls."

"Are you sure?" Scootaloo asked.  
>"I'm pretty sure. Somehow, I doubt the Princesses are gonna want to risk him escaping again. And as somepony who knows Celestia, let me tell ya something: She wouldn't send me after Whiteclaw so soon after I've become a mother." Even though she managed to get the words out, Rainbow still couldn't quite grasp the fact that she was legally a mother."<p>

Scootaloo felt relieved, but was still a bit unsure. "I hope you're right..."  
>"Trust me, Celestia's nowhere near as much of a hard-ass as some ponies think she is. Just ask Twilight or Fluttershy... hey," Rainbow Dash asked as Scootaloo gave her a bemused smirk, "Why are ya smiling like that?"<p>

"Do I have to get a swear jar?" Scootaloo asked.  
>"A swear jar?" Rainbow then realized her slip-up. "Whoooops. Sorry."<br>"It's okay," Scootaloo giggled, "Just pulling your leg."

After they finished their cereal, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stepped onto the front porch. Even though the sun was shining and the sky was clear and free of clouds, it was a fairly chilly day. Scootaloo hopped up onto Rainbow's back and held on to her shoulders - even though she wasn't looking forward to their destination, she was still eager to go flying.

"You ready, Squirt?" Rainbow asked, and Scootaloo nodded. Rainbow then jumped off the porch and took flight, going fast but not at the blistering speed she usually flew at. She knew that Scootaloo wasn't in the best mood, and tried to think of something that could start a conversation and perhaps make her feel better. But then she remembered - Scootaloo would surely be interested about the mare she met last night.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Rainbow said with a grin, "I met Vinyl Scratch - you know, DJ PON-3 - last night!"  
>"Wha?" Scootaloo exclaimed, surprised. "Get outta town!"<br>"No, really," Rainbow said. "I heard this awful racket in the neighborhood last night, and it turned out it was her. She'd just moved to Ponyville and SAID that she was trying to get a rat out of her house... but whatever she was doing, it sure as hay wasn't getting rid of a rat," she said with a chuckle. "But she had her sunglasses on and everything!"  
>"At night?" Scootaloo asked with amusement.<br>"Hey, if I had sunglasses that cool, I'd wear 'em all the time, too," Rainbow admitted. "She was nice and all, but she didn't seem to be in that good of a mood. She told me that herself. But anyway, if you ever wanna meet Vinyl, just let me know. I doubt she'd mind too much, she doesn't seem like some of those other Canterlot ponies."

"That'd be awesome," Scootaloo said. "Man, wait 'till I tell Sweetie Belle..."  
>"She a fan?" Rainbow Dash asked, but her gut sank as she noticed that Scootaloo's old home - a simple, floating cloud house - was just a few blocks away.<br>"Oh, you better believe it!" Scootaloo chuckled. "Sweetie is a huge music fan, and DJ PON-3's like her favorite produc... oh." She had been enjoying the flight so much, and was so surprised that Vinyl Scratch was now a citizen of Ponyville, that it didn't dawn on her that they were at her old house until Rainbow stopped in front of it and landed on the ground below.

"Well, this is it, kiddo," Rainbow Dash said, a concerned frown on her face. "You sure you're up for this?"  
>"Trust me, I'm sure," Scootaloo said. She tried to remain strong, even as memories of her old life came rushing back after seeing the little cloud house again. Sitting on the porch with her dad, shucking corn they'd bought from Sweet Apple Acres... sitting on her mom's back as a toddler, going on her first flight... being brought there by Rainbow Dash after her encounter with the Troll... sitting with both of her parents on the porch, reading a book as the sun set... her happy little family...<p>

"Now where's that moving truck?" Rainbow Dash asked, her voice dripping with annoyance, bringing Scootaloo back to the present. "Derpy said they'd be here by now! I hope she got the directions right..." Rainbow turned away from Scootaloo and looked off towards the horizon for any sign of Derpy or a moving truck, and Scootaloo was thankful for this, because she didn't want Rainbow to see her wiping the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

"C'mon, Scootaloo," the filly said under her breath. "You can do this."

"There they are!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, and Scootaloo turned to see a flying moving truck headed towards them. It was pulled by two Pegasus ponies, but there was no sign of Derpy Hooves... until the truck landed in front of the house, and Derpy and some other Pegasus ponies flew out of the back.

"Hi, guys," Derpy Hooves said, and as always, her yellow eyes were each looking in a different direction. "Is this the right place? Am I on time? Are we-"  
>"You're fine, Derpy," Rainbow Dash smiled. "Thanks for coming here, guys - I'll make it worth your while." She then turned to Scootaloo and put a hoof on her shoulder.<br>"Okay, Scoot. We're gonna head up first, and pick out what you wanna take. Then they'll come in with boxes and pack everything up, load it in the truck, and haul it to my... uh, our place. You ready?"  
>"Yeah," Scootaloo said with a nod. "Let's go in."<p>

As Derpy Hooves and the movers waited with the truck and prepared it for the move, Rainbow Dash flew Scootaloo up to the front porch, and Scootaloo hopped off her back and walked over to the white, fluffy cloud wall and put her right forehoof right through it.

"Okay, the key should be in here somewhere," Scootaloo said as she felt around inside the wall with her hoof, remembering what her dad had told her to do if she ever got locked out of the house. Soon, she felt a small, metal object, and yanked it out. "Got it!" she said, holding up the shiny gold key to the house.

"Good goin'," Rainbow Dash said with a smile, grabbing the key from Scootaloo. She walked over to the door and put the key in the hole, and with a click, the door unlocked. Rainbow pushed the door open and walked into the house, Scootaloo behind her.

As soon as they walked into the house, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo immediately noticed that the air felt musty and smelled of dust. The place had clearly not had any activity, having been abandoned for over a week. Despite this, it was obvious that Scootaloo's family had cleaned everything before leaving for their trip.

"Alright, your room's upstairs, right?" Rainbow Dash asked, not having much familiarity with the house.  
>"Yeah," Scootaloo said, once again sounding distant as she looked around. Her attention was drawn to the living room...<p>

...

"Santa Hooves came!" Scootaloo exclaimed with excitement as she darted towards the presents at the bottom of large Evergreen in the corner of the room, her parents following her with warm smiles on their faces. Scootaloo was about to bounce off the walls as she looked around at her presents, which were of various sizes.

"Ooh, that one's really big... but THAT one's even bigger!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "I'm gonna open that one first!"  
>"Wait a minute, Scootaloo!" her father Raindrop laughed, trotting over to her. "Let me help you, you'll bust a gut!" He grabbed the large present, hefted it up, and placed it on the floor - where Scootaloo, crazed with excitement, immediately started ripping the giftwrap off and revealed a plain brown box. She opened it... and inside was a shiny blue scooter with red handles.<p>

"A SCOOTER!" Scootaloo screamed with joy, lifting it up out of the box and sitting it upright, "Just what I wanted!"  
>"Good," Raindrop smiled, "I - uh, Santa Hooves looked everywhere for it..." His wife Sunset shot him a cross look, and Raindrop immediately said, "He told me himself." But Scootaloo was too excited to notice Raindrop's slipup, and he smiled again, partially out of relief.<p>

...

Scootaloo quickly looked away from the living room, trying to keep her composure. But then she remembered - there was a secret in her bedroom that she didn't necessarily want Rainbow Dash to know about.

"Hey Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said, "You mind if I go get my stuff ready by myself? I... no offense or anything, but I kinda need to be alone right now."  
>"Gotcha," Rainbow said with an understanding nod. "I'll be down here if you need me."<p>

As Scootaloo rushed upstairs, Rainbow Dash took a moment to look around the house. She walked up to a mantle over the fireplace, where a row of four framed pictures was set up. The first one was of Scootaloo as a newborn filly, being held by a tired but happy Sunset, as Raindrop hugged them both. The second one was of Sunset and Raindrop standing on their porch, their forehooves wrapped around each other, as they smiled for the camera. The third one was of Scootaloo and her scooter in front of a tree, and judging by Scootaloo's look, it had been taken fairly recently. She was leaning on the scooter and had a determined smirk on her face, obviously trying - and succeeding, Rainbow thought - to look cool. And the fourth one was Sunset, Raindrop and Scootaloo, sitting in a roller coaster, excited and happy smiles on their faces.

As she finished looking at the pictures, Rainbow Dash noticed that she was tearing up, and wiped her eyes. Despite her tough and brash personality, Rainbow still had a sensitive side, and the fact that such a young, happy family was broken apart so horribly hurt her deeply. Seeing just what Scootaloo had lost, she became more determined than ever to be the best mother and guardian she could be to Scootaloo... and make sure that the Troll that killed Sunset and Raindrop was brought to justice.

...

Scootaloo walked into her bedroom and closed the door, trying to hold herself together. But after being gone for so long, being back in her bedroom with her various possessions and treasures made her feel a bit better. The walls were covered in posters - some for rock, rap and techo artists she was a fan of, one of DJ PON-3, and one of Rainbow Dash from when she was Ponyville's hero (Scootaloo once had a poster of Mare-Do-Well, but it was promptly discarded once the truth about the masked mare came out). A red lava lamp sat on Scootaloo's nightstand, and next to it was a toy box filled with action figures of dinosaurs, dragons, the Wonderbolts, and tons of other things.

But sitting in the small bed in the corner, slightly buried under the Wonderbolts bedspread, was Scootaloo's most prized treasure: A small, hoofmade doll of Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo slept with the doll like it was a teddy bear, and loved it so much that she didn't even bring it with her on the trip, as she didn't want to risk losing it. But now that her parents were gone and she was living with the real Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo cherished the doll for a different reason than before.

...

Scootaloo was sitting on her bed, reading a "Big Sword the Barbarian" comic book, when her mother Sunset came into the room, carrying something wrapped in a small red blanket.  
>"Scootaloo," Sunset said, a gently teasing smile on her face, "I made you something..."<br>"What is it, Mom?" Scootaloo said eagerly.  
>"Just a surprise," Sunset smiled as she handed Scootaloo the blanket. Scootaloo started to unwrap it... and her eyes lit up with joy once she saw what was inside: A little doll of Rainbow Dash.<p>

"Mom!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "This is so cool... thank you so much!" she beamed, jumping to give her mother a hug.  
>"You're welcome - I thought you might like it," Sunset smiled, returning her daughter's hug. "When I was your age, I really loved Golden Throat, so my mom made me a doll of him. And when I saw how much you love Rainbow Dash, well... you know."<br>"Golden Throat?" Scootaloo said with a slight chuckle. "That old guy who always wears that hat?"  
>"Well, he hasn't aged that well," Sunset admitted. "But back in the day... oh, Celestia! He had girls everywhere screaming over him, and I was one of 'em."<br>"Really," Scootaloo said, getting a mischievous smile. "Did any of those girls happen to be dinosaurs?"

Sunset started laughing. "No, Scootaloo... but I think there were a few dodos around." Scootaloo started laughing, too, and the two of them just sat and laughed together for a good five minutes.

...

Scootaloo was lying on her bed, clutching her Rainbow Dash doll tightly to her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had tried to be strong, but she just couldn't help it: Her parents were dead, and she was never going to see them, or be with them, or talk and laugh with them, again.

"Hey, Scoots?" Rainbow Dash called from downstairs, "You okay?"  
>Scootaloo wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. "Yeah, I shouldn't be much longer." She stepped out of the bed and dried her tears. Hearing Rainbow Dash's voice had snapped Scootaloo out of her misery, and reminded her of something Rainbow had told her, not too long ago:<p>

"...One day, I realized that crying was never gonna bring him back, and that he would have wanted me to not mourn him, but to look back on all the happy memories I had of him. And look at me now. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly okay to be sad and cry, but you'll get through this. I promise."

Getting her determination back, Scootaloo headed to her closet and pulled out a small purple backpack, and stuffed the Rainbow Dash doll inside so that nopony would see it. She then worked on getting her things together for the move: Taking down the posters and rolling them up neatly, taking her bedspread off and folding it, and making sure that nothing would get left behind. Every time Scootaloo would move something, it would kick up dust that would make her cough, but she persevered.

Finally, after a few more moments, Scootaloo was done and was ready for the movers. She headed back to the stairwell feeling relieved, like a weight had just been lifted off her shoulders. "Hey Rainbow Dash!" she called, "I'm ready!"

"Cool, I'll let the movers know," Rainbow replied, and she flew outside. "Okay everypony, we're ready!" Derpy Hooves and the other movers flew into the house, some carrying boxes. Scootaloo pointed to the direction of her bedroom, and the moving team flew up the stairs and into the room.  
>"Need any help?" Scootaloo offered, following them, but one of the movers - a large, burly stallion pegasus with a five o'clock shadow, a nametag on his shirt identifying him as Burly Wings - shook his head.<br>"Nah, we've got this. Thanks, though."

As she headed back downstairs, Scootaloo sighed - she didn't particularly want to be in the house for much longer, so she went out on the porch. While the view wasn't as good as the one Rainbow Dash had, it was still pretty impressive, overlooking most of Ponyville with the city of Canterlot on its mountain off in the distance.

"How you holding up?" Rainbow Dash gently asked as she walked up next to Scootaloo and sat down.  
>"I'm not gonna lie, I kinda started crying up in my room," Scootaloo admitted. "But I just remembered what you told me, and felt a little better."<br>"Good," Rainbow said gently, wrapping a forehoof around Scootaloo. "Hey, what about all the other stuff here? Your mom and dad didn't write a will, did they?"  
>"They did," Scootaloo said. "Everything goes to me, but I think it'll be a while before I need any of it."<br>"We'll get a storage unit or two," Rainbow said. "Whenever you're ready for it, it'll all be there."

Scootaloo smiled. "That would be co-"  
>"Okay, everything's ready!" Derpy Hooves said with a smile, taking both Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash by surprise as she popped up behind them from seemingly out of nowhere. "The guys just gotta bring it to the truck, and we'll be as good as muffins!"<br>"Whoa, you guys work fast!" Rainbow said with a grin as she and Scootaloo stood up, "Okay, what's the cost?"  
>Derpy shook her head. "Oh, Burly Wings is the one handling the money... but it doesn't matter, anyway. He said that this move's on the house."<br>Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo both looked at each other with surprise. "Really?"  
>"Yep," Derpy said. "He feels really awful about what happened to Scootaloo. You should have seen him up there, he was about to cry..."<br>But suddenly, they heard a loud, gruff voice coming from inside the house. "I was not! It was just... the dust, it got in my eyes, you know? Honest!"  
>Derpy giggled, but then looked at Scootaloo and gave her a sympathetic frown. "And Scootaloo, I'm really sorry what happened. Listen, I'm baking some muffins, and when I get the chance I'll bring you a batch<br>Scootaloo smiled. "Thanks, Derpy!"  
>"No problem," Derpy said. "Just remember to share... everypony needs muffins in their lives! Well, I've got some boxes to help move."<p>

Derpy Hooves flew back inside to join with the other movers, and after a few moments, they all flew out in pairs, hauling furniture and loading it into the truck. "C'mon Scoots," Rainbow Dash said, "We can get the little stuff. Least we can do."  
>Scootaloo nodded in agreement, and they flew into the house up to her room.<p>

...

An Earth pony named Octavia watched curiously as a team of Pegusi carried furniture and boxes out of a floating cloud home. Normally, she wouldn't be interested in moves, but she had clearly seen that one of the movers was the rainbow-maned Pegasus who not only won the Best Young Flyer competition, but helped royally ruin the Grand Galloping Gala.

Octavia soon decided that seen enough of the move, and continued her walk to Ponyville. Barring special occasions, she never went there, being more accustomed with the higher class Canterlot lifestyle and feeling out of place in the more simplistic and quiet Ponyville. It wasn't quite a hick town, but it was a far cry from what she was used to.

"I can't believe Vinyl moved to this place," Octavia thought as she entered the town, ignoring the interested looks she got from passing stallions. "She's going to die of boredom here... I don't see one nightclub!" She started to look at the various houses, keeping an eye out for a small, one-story home on the outskirts of town. She saw a house that fit the description sitting on a hill, and looked at its mailbox. Sure enough, the name "Scratch" was etched onto the mailbox's side, so Octavia walked up the hill to the front door - as she got closer, she heard the sound of loud rock music playing inside the house - and knocked.

"Wait a minute!" a slightly scratchy mare's voice yelled from the other side, and the music stopped. "Let me get a piece of paper and somethin' to write wi-"  
>"Vinyl, it's me," Octavia said with a grin. "Octavia!"<br>Within seconds, the door swung open and revealed a grinning Vinyl Scratch, her purple-tinted sunglasses shining in the late afternoon sun. "Well, why didn't ya say so, Octi? Come on in."  
>"I thought I told you to stop calling me that!" Octavia said, although her voice was more teasing than angry. "'Octi' sounds like some science-fiction creature."<p>

Vinyl Scratch chuckled. "Sorry, I'll keep it in mind for the future." She stepped aside and motioned for Octavia to come inside, and closed the door behind her. "Would you like somethin' to drink... Octi?"  
>"Do you have any White Griffons..." Octavia asked, but then got a mischevious grin on her face, "Viney?"<br>Vinyl scoffed, and took off her sunglasses, revealing her bright red eyes. "Smartass," she said with a smirk. "I got one in the fridge - been saving it for this very occasion. Why don't ya make yourself at home?"

As Vinyl Scratch went into the kitchen, Octavia sat on a large, ratty old couch and looked around the room. It looked to be a nice, quaint little house... until Vinyl Scratch came along. The walls were covered in so many posters of techno, hard rock and rap artists - as well as several neon signs - that she could barely make out that the wallpaper was light blue. There was a pool table in the center of the room, a large television in the corner with several gaming systems hooked up, a large shelf of Vinyl's album collection that took up most of the wall, and a record player with two huge speakers sitting at each side. And on top of that, there were beer cans and magazines scattered around the room - while Vinyl was far from filthy, she was still a bit too comfortable in her own home.

"How do ya like it?" Vinyl Scratch asked, coming into the room with both a wine bottle and a can of Rolling Apple beer, handing the bottle to Octavia.  
>"It's..." Octavia started, trying to find a way to express how she felt without coming off as insulting, "...well, it's a mare cave."<br>"Yep," Vinyl said, slouching on the couch and cracking her can open. "I've got my studio crap in the other room, but I still have to set it all up. Hay, it took me damn near all day yesterday to get all this up," she added, looking around the room with a proud smile. But then she sighed, and her smile of pride was replaced by a frown.

"I sure wish Beatsnare could share this with me," Vinyl said. "He would have loved this place."

Octavia sighed sadly. While she didn't hang out with both Vinyl Scratch and her husband Beatsnare much, she still knew that the two of them had been very close. "I have to say, Vinyl, you're taking it really well."  
>"Hey, I've shed my tears," Vinyl said with a shrug, "No point in wasting any more over something I can't change. But... mother of Celestia, I miss him."<p>

Then, her frown turned into an angry scowl. "I still can't believe that Persano bastard... 'Oh, the courts don't lie!'" she said in a mockery of Clyde Persano's Manehattan accent. "He killed Beatsnare, I know he did. Beatsnare told me himself that Persano was on to him!"

"Why?" Octavia asked.  
>"Well, when Beatsnare realized that the gold mine was run by Persano, he tried to quit," Vinyl Scratch explained. "He didn't want to be working for some crook, and I didn't want him working for some crook, either. But I guess Persano didn't like that! The next day, I get a call telling me that... well, you know." Vinyl's voice became a bit shaky, but she regained her composure. "They said it was an accident, but Persano looked guilty as sin, and I just know he was. But he got off scott free, once again!" She shook her head and pounded her hoof on the armrest.<p>

"What we need is some real justice," Vinyl Scratch said, a determined frown on her face. "Not some court sentence, not something that his lawyer peons could get him out of... somepony needs to take the son of a bitch out."

Octavia frowned. She just knew that by 'somepony', Vinyl Scratch meant herself... and Vinyl's expression backed it up. "Vinyl, I know what you're thinking, but please, don't."  
>"Why shouldn't I?" Vinyl asked. "Somepony's got to. Otherwise, he'll just keep hurting more and more ponies..."<br>"I know, but he's not worth it!" Octavia said sternly. "Sure, he's a horrible guy, and I believe 100% that he killed Beatsnare. But... Vinyl, just promise me you won't do something you'll regret."

Vinyl Scratch sighed. "I know, you're completely right. But... it sure is tempting, y'know?"  
>"Just don't give into that temptation," Octavia said. "Unless it's for a new album or concert, I don't wanna see you on the news. And I guarantee you that Beatsnare wouldn't want it, either."<p>

Vinyl paused, and sighed. "Alright," she said with a smile, and took a sip of her beer. "Sorry if I got a little moody on you there."  
>"I understand," Octavia said, smiling back. "Say, I've been thinking of a project that I think you might be interested in."<br>"I'm listening."  
>"Okay, so I've been thinking... what if we combined our music for one album?" Octavia offered. "It would mix my cello work with... well, whatever it is you make. I think it would be really interesting, and maybe get your mind off of things, too."<p>

"So, let me get this straight," Vinyl Scratch asked, leaning forward, her face completely blank. "You want to combine my hot, modern, experimental beats with your boring, outdated, dinosaur-era violin crap?" But then, she smiled. "Say no more. I'm in."

Octavia smiled and took a sip of her wine. "Glad to hear it. And for your information, it's a cello."  
>"Eh, cello, violin, same thing," Vinyl Scratch said with a shrug. "They both look the same, they both sound like a dying whale with a sore throat... I rest my case."<p>

Octavia shook her head and smiled. Sure, Vinyl Scratch couldn't have been any more different, but that was part of why she enjoyed the unicorn's company so much. "So, have you had a lot of visitors?"  
>"Are you kiddin' me?" Vinyl exclaimed. "First there was this basket case pink pony who wouldn't stop jumping around nearly killed me by shootin' a baby alligator out of a cannon. Then there was that Pegasus with the rainbow mane who won the Best Young Fliers competition, but she was alright. And then..."<p>

"Wait a minute," Octavia said. "I saw that rainbow Pegasus, too! She was with a moving team, hauling boxes out of a cloud house... maybe she's moving out? And that pink pony sounds familiar, too."  
>"I know I saw them both at this really lame fashion show," Vinyl Scratch said with an amused grin. "Man, that show sucked."<br>"Can't be much worse than that one Grand Galloping Gala," Octavia said. "At least that pink pony didn't toss you to the ground... and worse, scratch up your cello!"  
>Vinyl laughed. "Yeeeah... I'm glad I sat that one out." Octavia laughed too, and finished her wine.<p>

"Listen, I have to go," Octavia said as she stood up. "It's been great seeing you. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I'm going to miss you in Canterlot."  
>"Same here," Vinyl Scratch said. "I'll keep in touch... you do the same. 'Kay?"<br>"Alright," Octavia said, and the two friends hugged.

"Well, I'm off," Octavia said, and she walked out the door. "Stay out of trouble, you hear?"  
>"Will do," Vinyl Scratch said. "YOU stay out of trouble. I don't wanna see on the news that your music bored somepony to death."<br>"Very funny," Octavia said. "But I'm serious. Remember what I said."  
>"Okay," Vinyl said. "Bye, Octi."<br>Octavia smirked. "Bye, Viney."

Octavia walked away, and Vinyl Scratch closed the door and sighed. She knew that Octavia meant well and was right... but not giving in to her desire for vengeance was going to be hard.

But for the moment, Vinyl was going to crank her music and lounge on the couch.

...

The sun was setting over the horizon, painting the sky shades of orange and purple, as two Equestrian Royal Guards made their way through a dense pine forest. One of them, a white unicorn stallion, was leading the way, looking around warily for any movement in the trees. Behind him was a younger gray pegasus stallion, who was growing increasingly terrified of the surrounding forest, but he hid it with a determined frown.

"Alright Blazefeather, I think we're getting close," the unicorn guard whispered as they continued through the forest. "No sign of Trolls yet, but keep on your guard."  
>"Understood, Sgt. Silverhoof," Private Blazefeather whispered in response.<p>

They had been sent by Captain Steelwing to investigate the Equestrian/Uncharted Land border. The enchanted wall on the border was found deactivated in a prior investigation that took place after Rainbow Dash killed that one Troll, but had been restored by Princess Celestia. But now that Whiteclaw was confirmed to be free, another investigation was due. Even though he had been defeated within Equestria's borders, they still needed to make sure he couldn't get out.

Neither of the two guards had been to the border before, but they remembered being told that it was an enchanted stone wall that covered the whole border, stretching and curving like a snake through forests, mountains, and even lakes. Blazefeather cursed the fact that they were investigating it so late in the day... not only would they have probably been able to see the wall, but he wouldn't be so terrified by the dense forest. The sky above was beautiful, but the forest just kept getting darker and darker.

After a few more agonizing moments of walking through the increasingly dark forest, the two guards finally came upon a tall, stone wall. "This is it?" Blazefeather asked, "Where's that extra security that the Princess talked about? And it's barely taller than the pine trees. A Troll could jump over it no problem."  
>"True," Silverhooves admitted, but with a worried expression Not only were the additional guards that had been promised nowhere to be found, but there appeared to be something amiss with the wall itself. "But this wall was enchanted... and I think I can see the problem. I was shown pictures of the wall, and it had a blue barrier rising above it. If a Troll tried to jump the wall, the barrier would send them flying back... but there is no barrier."<p>

"Let me fly up there," Blazefeather offered, and he started to hover in place. "Maybe it only shows up in pictures or something. If I can pass over it, we're in trouble."

"Give it a try," Silverhoof said with a shrug, and Blazefeather took flight. He flew up to the wall, and started to fly over it... and felt nothing. He was able to pass over the wall with ease.

"Something must have deactivated the barrier," Blazefeather said to Silverhoof. "But what? And how?"  
>"That's what we're here to find out," Silverhoof said. "Look around up there and on the other side, see if you can find any clues. I'll look around down here. Understood?"<br>"Understood," Blazefeather said. But before beginning his search, he took a moment to indulge his curiosity about what was beyond the wall. Even though it was getting increasingly dark, he could still see fairly well, but all he could make out was hills and more pine trees. He looked a bit closer, and noticed what appeared to be a distant snowy mountain peak sticking over the trees.

Suddenly, he heard a noise, and his body jolted in shock. His eyes darted around, looking for anything even remotely resembling a Troll... and breathed a sigh of relief when he looked down and saw that Silverhoof had simply cast a light spell, sending a small ball of light from his horn to float in the air.  
>"Oh, it's you," Blazefeather said, the relief clear in his voice, "You scared me there."<br>"My apologies," Silverhoof said. "Find anything yet?"  
>"Nope, but I'll keep looking," Blazefeather said. He hopped down from the wall to the other side, and as soon as his hooves touched the ground, a chill went down his spine as it hit him: He was now in enemy territory... and even though he couldn't see anything but pine trees and hills, he still had the feeling that something was watching him.<p>

"See anything over there?" Silverhoof asked, startling Blazefeather yet again.  
>"Nothing yet," Blazefeather said. "Hey, can you send one of those light spells over here?" Not only could he not see very well, but the increasing darkness was really starting to scare him.<br>"Just a moment," Silverhoof responded. There was another noise, and soon a ball of light flew over the wall and to Blazefeather. "Can you see better now?"

"Much better, thank you!" Blazefeather said. But with the light, he noticed an odd series of imprints in the ground in front of him, heading into the forest.  
>"Sarge!" Blazefeather called, "I see hoofprints over here! They're heading further into the Uncharted Land!"<p>

But there was no response.

"Sarge? Sgt. Silverhoof? Are you there?" Blazefeather asked, but once again, there was no response. The only thing he could hear was the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. Trying not to let his fear overtake him, Blazefeather flew to the top of the wall, and looked down. All he saw of Silverhoof was the light spell floating there, illuminating a small patch of ground.

"SILVERHOOF!" Blazefeather yelled, not caring what heard him anymore, terrified beyond rational thought, "ANSWER ME!" He hopped down and landed in the illuminated patch of ground... which was now the only thing he could see. Celestia's sun had gone down completely, and Luna's moon was starting to take its place.

As he stood in the light, too terrified to put a hoof out of it, Blazefeather was conflicted. He wanted nothing more than to just fly out of there and back to Canterlot, but he had also sworn as part of the Equestrian royal guard oath to never leave a fellow guard behind. And while he didn't know Silverhoof that well, being a fairly new member of the guard, the older and more experienced unicorn treated him well.

"I know what I'll do," Blazefeather muttered to himself. "I'll fly up and look around! I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier... guess I was too scared..."

Blazefeather took flight... but soon felt something hit his right hind leg hard. He looked down, and his face went pale as he made out fingers grasping his leg. Large fingers with slits on their tips where retractable claws were hidden.

The horrified pegasus tried to scream, but his throat clenched together, blocking any sound. He could only stare in horror as the hand brought him down to the light... and within seconds, he was being held right in front of an angry face with bared sharp teeth, leathery grey skin, piercing yellow eyes, and a mane of white hair.

A chill went down Blazefeather's spine as he realized that he was in the grasp of none other than Whiteclaw.

Whiteclaw began to speak, clearly amused by his captive's terror. "So there are only two of you? I'm surprised... I would have thought your Princess would have sent more. But maybe that's just my disappointment showing." His mouth twisted into a sadistic, toothy grin. "When I heard your voices, I couldn't wait to slaughter you filthy little pests. But I've already killed all your friends on patrol, and I just killed your Sgt... and now I get to do it again..."

Blazefeather's gut sank as it hit him: Silverhoof was dead, and it was by Whiteclaw's hand.

And he was next.

"Well?" Whiteclaw asked, clenching Blazefeather even tighter. "Have you anything to say, Equestrian?"  
>Blazefeather stared Whiteclaw right in his yellow eyes, and at that moment, his fear was replaced by sheer hatred for the killer of not only Silverhoof, but also that filly's parents, and countless other ponies. Giving the Troll a scowl, Blazefeather gathered up a mouthful of spit and launched it right at Whiteclaw's face. But the Troll wasn't angered by this action. Instead, he started to laugh sarcastically.<p>

"Now now, that's not very 'harmonious', is it?" Whiteclaw asked, smirking at his captive. "Especially for one of the Princess' royal guards... she would be ashamed, don't you think?"  
>Blazefeather didn't respond. He just looked down, his eyes filling with tears and his face twisted in a scowl.<p>

"Very well, then," Whiteclaw said, and with another twisted smile, he started to open his mouth. Blazefeather simply closed his eyes.

...

Whiteclaw sighed with relief as he leaned against the wall, finally within the border of his homeland. Ever since he had finally broken out of his miserable stone prison, he had spent the next week on a hectic run through enemy territory, his goal being the border and his kingdom beyond it. And even though he hadn't found much food earlier in the day, the two royal Equestrian guards had been a good meal. They weren't quite as good as the couple whose daughter somehow escaped, but he was still satisfied.

Whiteclaw stood up, ready to move. Not only did he not want to be around in case a whole army showed up looking for their missing patrol, but he was eager to return to what he knew, and what had been taken from him when those two Princesses encased him in stone. Feeling comfortable for the first time in days, Whiteclaw started to gallop through the forest and over the hills on all fours, moving surprisingly fast for such a large creature. But despite his size, he moved gracefully through the trees, not even knocking any over.

After a few more minutes of running, Whiteclaw finally exited the forest and came to a steep cliff. He stopped at the edge of the cliff and looked out, enjoying a sight he hadn't seen in thousands of years. It was a vast, wooded valley, lit by the pale moonlight. Mountains - ranging from rolling foothills to enormous, towering titans that pierced the clouds - were everywhere, stretching far into the horizon. It was a land that was wild, untouched by other civilizations, and free.

As Whiteclaw stood on the very edge of the cliff and looked out over the vast, wooded valley, its mountains towering far off in the horizon, the gentle trickle of a distant river coming from down below, and the scent of pine sap being carried through the breeze, he couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

It had been a long journey since his escape from stone... but at long last, he was home.

And as soon as he found his kingdom, he was more than ready to pick up right where he left off.


	5. Back to School

After a long day of moving all of Scootaloo's belongings and furniture into Rainbow Dash's house, the move was finally done, and Derpy Hooves and the movers were preparing to leave.

"Thanks a lot, guys!" Scootaloo eagerly told Derpy and Burly Wings as they stood on Rainbow Dash's porch, the faint light of Princess Luna's full moon shining down on them. "We couldn't have done it without you."  
>"Oh, it's our pleasure," Burly Wings said with a smile.<br>"Yeah, and thank you guys!" Derpy said, taking a glance down at the moving truck where the furniture that was originally in Scootaloo's new bedroom was loaded - one of her eyes saw it, anyway. "I got a whole new furniture suite outta the deal!"

Rainbow Dash smiled. "Thought ya might like it. Just try not to wreck it, okay?"  
>"Will do, Rainbow Dash," Derpy said with a salute, her eyes looking in different directions. "Well, we better go. Bye!"<br>"Yeah, take care," Burly Wings added.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo bid the movers goodbye as they flew down to the truck, loaded in, and took off. As they watched the truck fly away, Scootaloo sighed. "Boy, what a day."  
>"I know it," Rainbow Dash said. "You tired?"<br>"Hay no!" Scootaloo said, even if her eyes said otherwise. "What do you wanna do now?"  
>"Well, you're gonna go to bed," Rainbow said. "You've got school tomorrow."<p>

Immediately, Scootaloo's ears drooped in disappointment. "Aww... do I have to?"  
>"Yep," Rainbow Dash nodded. "You said you're ready, and the sooner you get all that built-up homework whooped, the better. I'll help you with it!"<br>"Thanks," Scootaloo sighed. "But... I wanna hang out with you tomorrow!"

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I have to go to work tomorrow," Rainbow Dash said. "I can't just have ponies filling in for me forever. Besides, don't you wanna see Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle?"  
>"I do," Scootaloo said, "But it's just... it'll be my first time at school since you-know-what! I'll probably be the center of attention, and I don't want it!"<br>"They'll just offer their condolences," Rainbow said. "What's so bad about that?"  
>"It's just..." Scootaloo sighed and shook her head.<p>

"C'mon," Rainbow Dash said as she put a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder, "Let's get you in bed, and you can tell me all about it. Besides, it's freezin' out here."  
>"Alright," Scootaloo said, and she followed Rainbow inside. After Rainbow closed the door, they headed into Scootaloo's newly redecorated bedroom and both lied down in the bed, side by side, on their backs.<p>

"This is an awfully cool room," Rainbow Dash said with a grin as she looked around, "I wish mine was half this awesome. So tell me, what's eatin' ya, Scoots?"  
>Scootaloo sighed, not particularly wanting to share the less appealing aspects of her life with her hero and adoptive mother.<br>"Come on," Rainbow gently urged. "You know you can tell me anything! Now what's the matter?"  
>Scootaloo sighed again, and spilled her guts. "There's these two other fillies at school, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," she explained as Rainbow listened attentively. "Ever since I first met 'em, they've been a pain in the flank! Making fun of me and my friends, calling us "blank flanks", insulting us every chance they get..."<p>

"Oh, I see," Rainbow Dash noted, concern evident in her voice. "Sounds like you've got a bully problem."  
>"Yeah," Scootaloo admitted. "I try to ignore them, but... it really hurts sometimes, y'know? I'm just worried that since my parents are... you know, that they'll make fun of me for being an orphan!"<br>"Surely they wouldn't be THAT cruel," Rainbow said.  
>"Oh, I wouldn't put it past them," Scootaloo sighed. "Especially Diamond Tiara... she's the worst!"<p>

Rainbow Dash faced Scootaloo and wrapped a foreleg around her. "Listen, Scoots, let me tell you from experience: They're just looking to get a rise out of you to make themselves feel better. I mean... what's her name again? Princess Who-Gives-A-Crap?" Rainbow asked, trying to lessen the tension.  
>"Diamond Tiara!" Scootaloo said, giggling.<br>"Whatever, I like Princess Who-Gives-A-Crap better," Rainbow shrugged. "Anyway, she and her buddy must have some insecurities goin' on that make them feel the need to bully you. That, or they're really bored. Or they're just plain cruel. Either way, the best thing you can do is just ignore them. Sure, it's not always easy, but you'll be better off for it. And who knows, if you ignore 'em enough, they'll just get bored trying to torment you and move on. Trust me, I know..."

"How?" Scootaloo asked, her curiousity piqued.  
>"Uh... maybe some other time," Rainbow Dash said. "It's a long and boring story, and you need your sleep."<br>"Aw, come on, Rainbow!" Scootaloo asked, and then she smiled. It was a big, wide-eyed smile that was purposefully adorable - the same smile she gave her parents when she really wanted something or was trying to keep out of trouble.

And despite her best efforts, Rainbow Dash couldn't resist it. After seeing Scootaloo heartbroken and crying for days, seeing the little filly make that big, adorable smile... it nearly made her melt. "Oh, alright, you got me," Rainbow said with a smile. "I'll tell ya everything." She crossed her forelegs behind her head and looked up at the ceiling, thinking back on her childhood. "You see... I used to get bullied. All the flippin' time."

Scootaloo's eyes went wide with shock. "You're kidding me! YOU? Bullied? But you're the most awesome pony ever!"  
>"Not to everypony, I wasn't," Rainbow said. "It all started when I first started going to flight school... I think I was like 5 or 6. And there were these three colts who hung out together, and when they saw my mane and tail, I never heard the end of it." She then changed her voice to a more boyish, mocking tone. "Oh, look guys! Look at the freak! What's with her mane? Why's she got a rainbow mane? She must be some failed science experiment or something!"<p>

"They really called you that?" Scootaloo exclaimed. She remembered how Rainbow Dash told her all those years ago that her rainbow-colored mane was something that had been carried down through her family for generations, and that she wouldn't have it colored any other way. The fact that those bullies dared to call her something so crude because of something so special filled Scootaloo with disgust.

"You better believe it," Rainbow said. "I just ignored them, but I've gotta admit, it really hurt me when they called me that. And then I started flying."  
>"I bet you blew them away," Scootaloo grinned.<br>"Well... not exactly," Rainbow chuckled. "I crashed... and crashed... and crashed... and crashed."  
>"You're kidding me!" Scootaloo exclaimed.<br>"Hey, we all start somewhere," Rainbow said. "The taking off and flying parts I was good at, but the landing? Don't get me started! So now those guys started calling me Rainbow Crash." She put on her mocking boyish voice again. "Uh-oh guys, look out! It's Rainbow CRASH! Better get outta HER way! She can't even get out of bed without crashing!" Returning to her normal voice, Rainbow sighed. "So, yeah. Not only was I a lab reject, but I was also a pony wrecking ball. You can imagine how it felt."

Scootaloo sighed in acknowledgement. Hearing about how badly Rainbow Dash was bullied saddened her, but it also made her feel a bit inspired. Knowing that Rainbow Dash of all ponies used to be bullied and overcame it made her feel like she and her friends could, too. It also made Scootaloo relate even more to her. "So, what did you do?"

"I moved on," Rainbow Dash said simply. "For the longest time, I just hated those guys' guts... and one day, I realized I was wasting so much energy hating them and being hurt by what they said, that soon I just didn't care. Sure, I gave 'em dirty looks now and then, but I mostly just let them make morons of themselves. And then I met this new kid named Gilda - you know that griffon who found you and brought you here?"  
>Scootaloo nodded, shuddering a bit as the memories of that awful night came rushing back.<br>"Well, that was her. She was bullied too just for being a griffon, so we kind of stuck together. And as we got older, and her talons started growing... bullies just started leaving us alone. She was like my big sister, you could say." Rainbow paused for a moment and blankly looked up at the ceiling. Ever since she started talking about Gilda, Rainbow was overcome by feelings of sorrow, regret, anger...

"Uh, Rainbow?" Scootaloo asked. "Are you okay?"  
>"Oh!" Rainbow Dash said, shaking her head and looking back at Scootaloo. "Sorry, kinda drifted off there for a second. But anyway, that's my story of being a bullied filly. Fascinating, wasn't it?" she asked sarcastically.<br>"I had no idea you had it so rough," Scootaloo said sadly. "I can't believe those jerks treated you so bad..."  
>"Buncha Pegadicks is what they were," Rainbow snickered. "Eh... don't repeat that."<p>

"Okay," Scootaloo said with a giggle. "Did you ever get revenge?"  
>"Revenge? Nah," Rainbow Dash shrugged. "In fact, we're friends now - we're not best buddies, but we get along okay. They really ended up taking a liking to me... I'm sure me winning the Best Young Flyer's competition had NOTHING to do with it."<br>Scootaloo laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure!" She crossed her forelegs behind her head and smiled - Rainbow Dash's story made her feel a lot more confident. But then Rainbow Dash got a sly grin on her face.

"Say, Scoots... what's this I hear about you being the leader of a fanclub?"  
>Scootaloo's eyes opened wide, and her cheeks went rosy. "Huh?" she asked.<br>"Yeah, I heard you started up a Saturday fanclub at the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse," Rainbow Dash said, still grinning playfully. "It's based around... now, who was it again? Sapphire Shores?"  
>"No..." Scootaloo admitted with a shy grin on her face. "...it's about you."<p>

"Bingo!" Rainbow Dash said, laughing. "I still can't believe you went to the trouble of setting up a fanclub for me. I mean, I'm pretty awesome, but... man!"  
>"Yeah," Scootaloo said bashfully. "...you're okay with it, aren't you? I would have asked, but... I didn't know what you'd say..."<br>Rainbow Dash sat up. "Scootaloo," she said with a stern tone, though she was still smiling. "Don't you ever be shy with me. We're buddies, aren't we?"  
>"Yeah," Scootaloo said happily.<br>"Besides, I would have said yes," Rainbow said. "Having a fanclub is pretty awesome as it is, but with you as the leader? That's downright special."

"Really?" Scootaloo asked.  
>"Of course!" Rainbow Dash said with a warm smile as she gave Scootaloo an affectionate noogie. "You're my little buddy. I love ya, Squirt."<p>

I love you.

Ever since she first started looking up to Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo had longed to hear those three words coming from her hero. She quickly grew to love Rainbow like the older sister she never had, but never admitted it, as she wasn't sure what Rainbow would think. Still, Scootaloo knew that Rainbow Dash really liked her - why else would she change her life so much to adopt her? But hearing those three words... normally, Scootaloo despised "sappy" moments, but even she had her limits.

Scootaloo sprung up and wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash. "I love you too!"  
>As Rainbow hugged Scootaloo and gave her a gentle nuzzle, she was starting to feel something in her eyes and let out a chuckle. "Aw, now look what you've done! You've turned me into a sap!"<br>"Well, YOU did the same thing!" Scootaloo argued teasingly. "I'm not usually this mushy!"

Rainbow Dash laughed. "Well, I think that's enough 'mushiness' for one night." She then glanced at the clock on Scootaloo's nightstand - 11:04. "Besides, you've got to get some sleep!"  
>"Oh, alright," Scootaloo said as she crawled under her bedspread. "Goodnight, Rainbow."<br>"'Night, Scoots," Rainbow said as she hopped off of Scootaloo's bed and walked to the door. "Remember, I'm right down the hall if you need anything."

Scootaloo happily nodded in reply, and Rainbow Dash closed the door. Scootaloo then hopped out of her bed, walked to the open closet, and rummaged through unsorted odds and ends for a bit before finding her backpack. She opened it, felt around inside, and found something small and soft - the Rainbow Dash doll her mother made for her.

After crawling back under the covers, Scootaloo turned off the lamp on her nightstand, bathing the room in darkness with the pale moonlight shining through the windowblinds. She then held the doll tight and kissed it on the head, as it reminded her of her mother. Both of them.

...

Scootaloo woke up to the sound of Rainbow Dash knocking on her door. She wasted no time hiding her Rainbow doll under her covers, and said "Come in!"  
>Rainbow opened up the door and walked over to her. "Mornin' kiddo, time for breakfast. Then, we gotta get your flank to school."<br>"Awww!" Scootaloo groaned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Just five more minutes!"

Rainbow then assumed a stern tone, although she was still clearly amused. "Do you want me to get Fluttershy over here and get her to do… THE STARE?" she finished, closing one of her eyes and glaring at Scootaloo, who started to giggle.  
>"Heh… no."<br>"Then come on, up and at 'em," Rainbow said, a little smile on her face.

Scootaloo got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth as Rainbow Dash went downstairs. Upon entering the bathroom, Scootaloo looked in the mirror as she prepared her toothbrush and smiled at the confident filly looking back at her. After talking with Rainbow Dash, any worries she had of returning to school were gone. Ever since she first started going to school, Scootaloo had always stood up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's heckling and defended her friends, but at the same time she realized that she let their words get to her too much. And if they had any snide remarks for her today, she was going to let them make fools of themselves and go about her business.

After brushing her teeth, washing her face and combing her mane, Scootaloo headed downstairs, the taste of peppermint toothpaste still in her mouth. By the time she got to the kitchen, Rainbow Dash had already poured two bowls of Sugercube Bits cereal.

"Hey Scoots, eat up," Rainbow Dash said as she sat down. "Can't sit in a room and learn a bunch of boring stuff on an empty stomach, can you?"  
>"You got that right," Scootaloo said as she sat down and grabbed a bowl. "Although Miss Cheerliee's really nice, and we do learn something pretty cool every once in a while. Like this one time, she told us about dragons," she said before eating a spoonful of cereal.<br>"Did she tell ya they don't like being kicked in the face?" Rainbow asked with a smirk before eating her own spoonful.  
>"No, but I did!" Scootaloo said with a smile. "I brought up your mission to that big mountain. Everypony loved it!"<br>Rainbow Dash smiled proudly. "What do you think you'll be learning about today?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "Whatever it is, I hope it isn't boring." As she ate some more of her cereal, she thought about the mission Rainbow Dash had gone on with Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy, up to that big mountain to get rid of that dragon. Rainbow had told Scootaloo about it several times before, but she was still interested in seeing the mountain for herself.

"Hey, Rainbow?" Scootaloo asked, finishing her cereal. "Do you think you could take me up to that big mountain one of these days? Y'know, the one where the dragon was?"  
>"I can do that," Rainbow Dash said with a nod, but then she smiled with bemusement. "...if you get your flank to school!"<br>"Okay," Scootaloo said, smiling herself. The pair headed out the front door and onto the porch, and Scootaloo hopped up onto Rainbow's back. Rainbow looked up at the cloudy, overcast sky and frowned.

"Well, looks like I have my work cut out for me," Rainbow said. "This is lookin' like it will take me 30 seconds rather than just 10."  
>"Oh, you can do it!" Scootaloo said eagerly, and she held on to Rainbow's shoulder and neck.<br>"I know I can," Rainbow said as she hopped off the porch and spread her wings, taking flight. "They'll be happy to have me back, that's one thing for sure. Hey, you ever thought about being a weather pony when you grow up?"

"Well, yeah," Scootaloo said matter-of-factly. "I just gotta learn how to fly. Hay, I've gotta learn how to fly period."  
>"Yep," Rainbow Dash agreed. "I won't be able to carry you around forever. Can you imagine me flyin' you around when you get to be my size? That ain't gonna cut it."<br>"Nope," Scootaloo said. "Sooner I learn to fly, the better." Then she realized something: She'd never asked Rainbow how she learned to fly.

"Hey, Rainbow?"  
>"Hmm?"<br>"How'd YOU learn to fly?"  
>Rainbow Dash responded with a chuckle. "My dad took me up in the air when I was a filly, told me to flap my wings, and dropped me. I figured it out on the way down."<br>Scootaloo audibly gasped, taken aback. "You serious? That must have been awful!"  
>"Yeah, I was terrified," Rainbow said. "But hey, it worked. Never saw my dad so proud in his life."<p>

Scootaloo thought about it for a moment before getting a smile on her face. "Could you do that with me?"  
>"Wha?" Rainbow exclaimed. "First you think it's awful, and then..."<br>"If it worked for you, it should work for me," Scootaloo said. "And you're fast enough to catch me if I screw up, right?"  
>"Yeah," Rainbow said, but she was clearly uncomfortable with the idea. "But your wings might be different than mine were. All Pegasus wings don't grow at the same rate. I was a bit of an early bloomer."<p>

"Well, it's still worth a try," Scootaloo insisted.  
>Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head. "Squirt, here's what bugs me: Sure, it taught me to fly, but I was freakin' terrified. I don't want you to go through that."<br>"Rainbow," Scootaloo said, patting Rainbow's neck with her hoof, "I'll be okay! I trust you more than anypony. How could I be scared when I know you'll be there to catch me?"  
>"Well... I guess that's true," Rainbow said, a smile creeping to her face. "Okay, you win. Soon as I get the chance, we'll give it a whirl."<p>

Scootaloo's eyes lit up as she beamed with joy. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash! Thank you thank you thank you-"  
>"One thank you's fine, Scoots," Rainbow Dash said with a gently amused smirk, and she started to slow her flight as they reached Ponyville's school. There was a whole group of colts and fillies in front of the school getting ready to go in, but they stopped in their tracks when they saw Rainbow Dash appearing. Some of them cheered and some of them just looked on in awe as Rainbow flapped her wings slowly to descend, and landed on the grass in front of them. Scootaloo looked at all of the colts and fillies, and now their attention was on her... and they showered her with overwhelming enthusiasm.<p>

"SCOOTALOO!" one of the colts cheered.  
>"YEAH, SCOOTALOO'S BACK!" a filly cheered.<br>Before Scootaloo knew it, the whole group was cheering her name as if she was a big star - it was as if Rainbow Dash wasn't even there. She started to smile and her cheeks went rosy as she took in the attention - they really cared about her that much?

"Told ya you'd do fine," Rainbow Dash said, giving Scootaloo a wink. "You want me to pick you up here, or..." She was interrupted as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle came running up to Scootaloo and grabbed her in a group hug.

"What do you say, girls?" Scootaloo said, a big smile on her face. "Wanna go to the clubhouse after school?"  
>"You bet!" Apple Bloom said.<br>"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle added.

"Okay, I'll pick ya up at the clubhouse," Rainbow Dash said. "Have a good day, kiddo."  
>"You too, Rainbow!" Scootaloo said, giving Rainbow a hug. Rainbow gave her a gentle noogie before walking away from the crowd and launching into flight. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and all of the other colts and fillies watched her fly off before the ring of the school's bell caught their attention - a call to come inside. But as the crowd headed into the school, Scootaloo getting condolences and praise all the while, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stayed behind to watch them. Diamond sighed, shooting Silver a scowl.<p>

"I can't believe you were cheering for her!" Diamond hissed, "I mean, she's a blank flank!"  
>"I know," Silver said, "But she's been through, like, a lot!"<br>"So?" Diamond shrugged, her sky blue eyes narrowing with annoyance. "What do we care? It's not our mommies and daddies who died! Now come on, let's go."

"Okay," Silver Spoon said as she followed Diamond Tiara into the schoolhouse. Ever since they were very young, Silver and Diamond had been best friends, and loved to make fun of anypony less fortunate than themselves. But this time, Silver couldn't help but feel that her friend was going a bit too far.

...

Cheerilee stood at the front of the classroom, smiling with pride as she watched her students fill the room and take their seats. Then she saw Scootaloo, and her smile grew even wider.

"Good morning, everypony," Cheerilee said cheerfully as soon as her class took their seats. "Before we begin, I would like to welcome Scootaloo back to our classroom." Everypony (except for Diamond Tiara) clapped as Scootaloo looked around and smiled. But then Cheerilee frowned. "She's been through a lot, so please make her feel at home again."

"Thanks, everypony," Scootaloo said, smiling. "Miss Cheerilee, do you have my homework?" she asked, dreading the answer.  
>"Why, yes I do," Cheerilee said, reaching under her desk and lifting a small stack of papers up and on top of it. "You missed a lot, so I narrowed it down to the most important material."<br>Scootaloo smiled with appreciation. "Thanks, Miss Cheerilee."  
>"My pleasure," Cheerilee smiled back before turning her attention to the class at large. "Now that we're all settled, we can get started. Today, we will be learning all about mountains." The class - especially Scootaloo - watched with attention and excitement as Cheerilee started her lesson.<p>

...

Whiteclaw was deep in thought as he sat at the mouth of the cave he chose to sleep at for the night. His hunger had been quenched by the elk he caught earlier that morning, which was fortunate as he still had a long way to go.

During his rule, Whiteclaw arranged a backup plan so that if something were to happen to him, his kingdom would still thrive. It hadn't been easy to accomplish - it required the construction of an entirely new city - but his kingdom pulled it off. But it had been a long time since his defeat, and the war had obviously ended in the Equestrians' favor. What if they managed to find the secret city and eradicated his brethren and everything he had worked so hard for? Thoughts like this tormented Whiteclaw, and drove him to find the hidden city as quickly as he could.

Deciding he had enough rest, Whiteclaw stood up on all fours and began to step out of the cave. But as he walked out into the dense green forest, its canopy towering over him, Whiteclaw noticed something strange on the ground. It looked like...

"Hoofprints?" Whiteclaw wondered aloud as he bent down to inspect the suspicious imprints in the dirt. These didn't look like just any hoofprints, but those of an Equestrian. He sniffed the imprints, and even through the smell of dirt and pine needles, he caught the scent of an Equestrian.

"What is an Equestrian doing here?" Whiteclaw wondered, angry at the thought of them tampering with his land. For a moment, he was tempted to follow the hoofprints and see where they lead, and hopefully find their creator. But he ultimately decided that finding the hidden city was far more important and took off through the woods, galloping on all fours.

"What does it matter anyway?" Whiteclaw wondered to himself, a smirk spreading across his face as he thought of his home's many hazards. "They'll be dead soon enough..."

For the next few moments, Whiteclaw ran through the woods, focused on his goal. Despite his large body, he didn't break any of the trees and weaved through them with ease. Trolls became masters of their wooded environment at a very early age, and were fully able to run through even the densest of forests while barely leaving a mark. Not only did it preserve their woods, it also made them excellent hunters and warriors... and despite his obvious disadvantage of having a coat of bright white hair, Whiteclaw was possibly the best of them. Ever since his youth, Whiteclaw was famous amongst his people for not only being the son of King Redwood and heir to the throne, but also being one of the best athletes in the kingdom. Races, tests of agility, strong Troll competitions... Whiteclaw entered nearly all of them, and won almost every single one.

But as much as he enjoyed competition, Whiteclaw greatly preferred using his skills exploring the rugged wilderness of his home land. He had been to the top of the region's tallest mountain - 35,324 feet above sea level - several times, to the point that his father named it after him. From the deepest caves to the densest forests, Whiteclaw knew almost the entire region like the back of his hand, and had been planning on exploring the whole world until the incident. The incident that ruined his life... corrupted him with a deep-seeded hatred... and made him King.

...

"...and that's how Mount Doodlebug was named," Cheerilee said to a class of giggling colts and fillies. "Now, I'm sure you're all wondering the same thing: 'What is the tallest mountain in the world?' Well, we're about to find out." She moved over to an easel that had a picture of an erupted volcano - Mount Doodlebug - and flipped the page over, revealing a majestic, snow-capped mountain that towered over its surroundings. Even though the picture was obviously taken from a distance, it was still clear how huge the mountain was.

"This is the tallest mountain in the world," Cheerilee said, pointing to the picture. "Unfortunately, it is located in the Uncharted Land, so access is forbidden. Nopony has ever even named it, much less climbed it."

As she looked at the picture of the unnamed mountain, Scootaloo was amazed by it. It was in the homeland of the Trolls, and the mountain looked very frigid, harsh and unforgiving... but she thought it was one of the coolest looking places she'd ever seen. She decided that she had to see it for herself, even if it was on Rainbow Dash's back from miles and miles away.

"...and that concludes our lesson today," Cheerilee said as her class listened attentively, expressions of excitement on their faces. "Your assignment is to write a two-page report on which mountain you would most like to visit." Immediately, Scootaloo rose a hoof.  
>"Yes?"<br>"Can we write one about that really big mountain in the Uncharted Land?" Scootaloo asked eagerly. "I know nopony can go there, but it sounds so cool!"  
>"Yes, you may," Cheerilee said, and then she turned her attention back to the class. "This report will be due this Thursday... I'm interested to see what you all have to say!" She then range the school's bell. "Class dismissed."<p>

As all the other colts and fillies ran out of the schoolhouse, Scootaloo walked up to Cheerilee's desk. "Hi, Miss Cheerilee. Got my homework?"  
>"I sure do," Cheerilee said as she came around the desk and gave Scootaloo the small stack of papers. "Like I said, I narrowed it down to the essentials." A spark of mischief came to her eye as she added, "Unless you want a stack of homework higher than this desk, of course!"<br>"Nah, I'll pass," Scootaloo said with a grin, putting the stack of papers on her back and holding them in place with her little wings. "Thanks, Miss Cheerilee."  
>"You're welcome," Cheerilee said warmly. After taking a glance around to make sure everypony else had left, she gave Scootaloo a hug.<p>

"I'm so sorry about what happened," Cheerilee said sadly. "If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."  
>"Thanks," Scootaloo said with appreciation as she hugged her teacher back. "Well, I'd better go."<br>"Alright," Cheerilee said, letting Scootaloo go. "It was wonderful having you back... I've missed you. We all have."  
>"Yeah, I missed you all too, Miss Cheerilee," Scootaloo smiled. "Well, bye!"<br>"Goodbye," Cheerilee said with a wave.

As she trotted out of the schoolhouse and across the lawn, Scootaloo happily thought about how lucky she was to have a teacher as kind as Cheerilee, when she suddenly felt something strike her legs and knock her down, sending her homework papers flying.

"Oh, whoops!" a voice said sarcastically, and Scootaloo scowled as she recognized who it was. "Didn't see you - honest!"  
>"Yeah, I bet," Scootaloo said as she collected all her scattered papers, put them on her back, and stood up. Diamond Tiara stood in front of her, a vile grin on her face... but Silver Spoon, usually standing right there next to her, was absent.<br>"Oh well, my mistake," Diamond said. "Anyway, how's your family?"  
>"Eat manure," Scootaloo said through gritted teeth. She knew that the bully was just trying to get a rise out of her, and was letting the mean words slide off her back... but not without throwing a jab in Diamond's direction.<p>

Diamond gasped. "Why, Scootaloo! I ought to tell Miss Cheerilee! Where did you learn such foul language?" She mockingly thought for a second, and then smirked. "Oh, that's right! Rainbow Dash!"  
>"Yeah, that's it," Scootaloo said sarcastically. "Like I never thought about telling you that BEFORE I started living with Rainbow. Riiiight. Well, have a good one," she said, starting to walk away, and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle came over and joined her. But Diamond Tiara wasn't quite done.<p>

"You know why Rainbow Dash really adopted you, right?" Diamond Tiara asked with a nasty leer, but Scootaloo just kept walking. "Because she likes you!"  
>"Oh course she likes me, genius" Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes. "If she didn't like me, why would she adopt me in the first place?"<br>"That's right!" Diamond said. "I gotta say, this is an all-new low. Like, I knew she was a jerk, but I never in a trillion years thought she was a little filly chaser!"

Those words made Scootaloo stop in her tracks, anger building up in her heart. She had tried to just ignore Diamond Tiara's bullying... but the bully had gone too far. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle may not have known what that insult meant, but Scootaloo did, and she wasn't about to let it slide.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had insulted Scootaloo's friends and family before, and she defended them every time. But after Rainbow Dash had shown her such love and kindness, and helped her so much... to hear her accused of being something so terrible made Scootaloo more furious than she could remember. She took a glance around, and was relieved as she saw Cheerilee on her way down a path, already far away from where they were standing. Cheerilee wasn't going to hear what she was about to say.

"Look here, Diamond Tiara," Scootaloo hissed, turning around and glaring daggers at Diamond - Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gasped at just how angry she sounded, but she didn't even notice they were there anymore. "Rainbow Dash and I have been friends since I was really little. She's showed me cool things, she's taken me to fun places, she's given me good advice, she's been there for me when I needed her... she's the closest thing I've ever had to a big sister. Sure, she may not be perfect, but she does try, and she'd do anything for me. She's way better than you'll ever be. You say one more thing about her and I'LL KNOCK YOUR FRIGGIN' LIGHTS OUT!" Scootaloo yelled, holding a hoof up to Diamond Tiara's face.

The vile smirk that had previously been on Diamond Tiara's face was replaced by a genuinely startled frown. "You... I'll tell Miss Cheerilee!"  
>"Yeah, go ahead!" Scootaloo laughed, and then altered her voice to sound more like Diamond Tiara's. "Oh, hi Miss Cheerilee! Scootaloo like, threatened to beat me up after I, like called her mom a filly chaser!" Yeah, be my guest."<br>"You'd totally get in trouble too!" Diamond noted, her smirk coming back  
>"Yeah, but so would you!" Scootaloo said, and Diamond's smirk faded as quickly as it appeared . "Now unless you wanna spend a detention with me, you might wanna keep your mouth shut about ponies you don't know ANYTHING about and just SOD OFF."<p>

Diamond Tiara scowled and kicked the ground. "Okay, you win this round... blank flank. I'm outta here." And with that, she walked away. Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who both looked like they'd just seen a ghost.  
>"...Wow," Apple Bloom said, "I've never seen ya mad like that!"<br>"Me neither!" Sweetie Belle added. "Glad you're on our side!"

"Well, I've never BEEN that mad," Scootaloo said, calming down. "I guess when she called Rainbow that, I just lost it. I wasn't really gonna hit her, I just wanted to scare her. But I sure felt like knockin' that Tiara off her head!"  
>"Forget about her," Sweetie Belle said. "She isn't worth it."<br>"Yeah!" Apple Bloom said, wrapping a foreleg around Scootaloo. "Yer ten times what she is."  
>"You guys are right," Scootaloo said, and she calmed her nerves enough to smile. "Thanks, guys. So... what are we gonna do today?"<p>

"Well," Apple Bloom started as the three fillies started their walk to the clubhouse, "Applejack gave me a buncha old board games she found in the attic... maybe we oughta check 'em out!"  
>"Sounds like fun!" Sweetie Belle said enthusiastically.<br>"Do you know if one of 'em is Spiders and Flies?" Scootaloo asked. "That's my favorite!"  
>"I haven't looked at 'em yet," Apple Bloom admitted. "But we'll sure as shootin' find out! Let's go, girls!"<p> 


	6. Nightmare

Applejack took a moment to take her hat off and wipe the sweat from her brow as she brought the last bucket of apples to the wagon. She and Big Macintosh had spent the whole day so far bucking trees and collecting apples for a new batch of pies, and it had been long, hard work.  
>"Phew," Applejack sighed, "What a day."<br>"Eeyup," Big Macintosh agreed as he walked over to the front of the wagon and hooked himself up. "Hop on!"  
>Applejack jumped up into the wagon, sitting on top of a large pile of apples, and Big Macintosh started to pull the wagon to the barn. It was a heavy load, and at first Applejack had her doubts that Big Macintosh could pull such a huge load... but he quickly proved to her that nothing was too heavy for Big Macintosh.<p>

Applejack was enjoying the fall leaves when she noticed a long, black carriage pulled by a team of pegasus ponies wearing suits fly overhead. "What in tarnation?" she asked no one in particular. She lost sight of the carriage as it flew over some particularly tall apple trees, but it appeared to be headed to the barn.  
>"We better get there ASAP," Applejack told Big Macintosh. "We might have some customers!"<br>"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said, "Now hold on..."

When Big Macintosh said to hold on, Applejack knew to hold on as tight as she could to the sides of the wagon. As soon as he made sure his sister was secure, Big Macintosh broke into a gallop, speeding through the orchard and towards the barn. Before long, they arrived and saw that the long black carriage had landed right in front of the barn. One of the carriage's side doors open, and out stepped a slender unicorn stallion with a dark grey coat, an oiled black mane, a black pinstripe suit, and large sunglasses. And much to Applejack and Big Macintosh's disgust, he was smoking a cigar. They stopped shortly in front of him, and Applejack hopped out of the wagon.

"Nice place you've got here," the unicorn said with a noticeable Manehattan accent. As she approached him, Applejack noticed that his cutie mark was a baseball bat. Somehow, she had doubts that he got it from hitting a home run.  
>"Thanks," Applejack asked. "But sir, I'm afraid I'm gonna have t' ask ya to put out your cigar. It's bad for the apples."<br>"Oh, sorry," the unicorn said with a smirk. He used his magic to take the cigar out of his mouth and shove the lit end repeatedly into the ground, smothering it. He then took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of striking red eyes. "Word is you make some high-quality cider around these parts."

"That's right," Applejack said. "But sadly, we only make it one time 'o year. Raises the demand, an' all that."  
>The unicorn's smile turned into a slight frown."Do you know who I am?"<br>"Somepony with an awful high opinion of himself?" Applejack offered with a shrug.

"I'm Clyde Persano!" the unicorn said, clearly satisfied with himself - Applejack instantly recognized him as being recently cleared on murder charges, but decided not to bring it up. "For cryin' in the mud, I knew this was a backwater town, but I woulda thought more people knew who the hay I was!" Applejack frowned, and Persano shook his head and smiled. "Oh, no offense."  
>"None taken," Applejack said, with a sense of sarcasm in her voice. "Anyway, sorry we don't have any cider. Anything else we can get for ya?"<br>"Nope," Persano said. "I came here for cider. See, I used to buy from the Flim Flam Brothers. Hay, I funded 'em! But... well, they sorta fell on hard times. Because of your cider. And if your cider is better, I want a taste."

"Sorry, sir, but we aren't makin' any," Applejack repeated. She tried not to show it, but she was starting to lose her patience. It was interesting to her how Persano mentioned the Flim Flam Brothers, because his attitude was reminding her a lot of them.  
>"Lady," Persano said, using his magic to pull a blank check from his suit pocket, "I can make a lot of numbers appear on this check. A LOT of numbers. Think you can break this tradition of yours and cook up some cider?"<p>

Applejack thought about it. "Well, I never have liked turnin' down a payin' customer. And the barn could use some repairs. And..."  
>"...And you'll be happy to take some time outta your busy schedule to cook up a nice big batch of cider," Persano said, a sly grin on his face. "Am I right?"<br>"I guess so," Applejack said. "How much?"  
>"Oh, about... twelve barrels," Persano said.<br>"Twelve barrels!" Applejack exclaimed.  
>"Oh, I'm getting it for a crew of mine," Persano explained. "See, I've got a little gold mine off in the mountains. It oughta whet their whistles enough to start workin' harder. Ya dig?"<br>"Yeah... I dig alright," Applejack said, chuckling. "Okay, one barrel's 20 bits, so that'll be 240 bits."

"It's a deal," Persano smiled, and he and Applejack bumped hooves. "Don't work yourselves too hard, though!" he said, that oily smirk coming back.

Applejack nodded, then looked at Big Macintosh. "Big Mac, go get Granny Smith," she said.  
>"Eeyup," Big Macintosh nodded, and galloped up to the house. As soon as he was out of earshot, Persano got closer to Applejack and gave her a leer.<br>"You know, you're quite a beautiful mare," Persano said. "Wha-"  
>"Do ya want your cider or not, Mr. Persano?" Applejack asked curtly. She was more than ready to make his cider and get paid so he would leave.<p>

Just then, they heard excited young voices coming their way.

...

"I'm gonna beat ya both, I'm sure of it!" Apple Bloom boasted.  
>"We'll see about that," Scootaloo said. "Nopony beats Scootaloo!"<br>"What about that one time I beat you both at Stack the Pigs?" Sweetie Belle mentioned.  
>"That didn't happen!" Scootaloo exclaimed as they came closer to the barn, and noticed Applejack with a unicorn pony in a suit. As soon as Scootaloo saw the unicorn, her gut sank and a frown spread across her muzzle.<p>

"Who's that?" Apple Bloom asked.  
>"Girls," Scootaloo said shakily, "Can we just go to the clubhouse?" She eyed the unicorn attentively, bad memories rushing through her mind.<br>"Fine by me, Sweetie Belle said, when both Applejack and the unicorn looked their way, and Scootaloo froze up. When the unicorn saw Scootaloo, he gave her a wink. She wanted to get out of there more than ever.  
>"Girls, just... let's go," Scootaloo said, rushing off towards the clubhouse, and a confused Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle ran after her.<p>

"Oh, that's just my lil' sister and her friends," Applejack explained. "You know 'em or something?"  
>"Just the little pegasus," Persano said. "I knew her parents, until they died." He gave a sigh. "Couldn't have happened to nicer people..."<p>

...

"Scootaloo, what the hay happened back there?" Apple Bloom asked as she, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle climbed up into the clubhouse. "It was like you'd seen a ghost!"  
>"Girls, that guy is bad news," Scootaloo said, her brow furrowed. "Stay away from him!"<br>"What's the problem?" Sweetie Belle asked. "All I saw was a guy in a suit."

Scootaloo looked out the clubhouse window to make sure he wasn't following her - the coast was clear. She then sat at the little red table with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and started to tell them what happened.

...

"Okay, time for lunch!" Sunset called from the kitchen, having just prepared a dish of spaghetti. Almost immediately, Raindrop and Scootaloo rushed into the kitchen. They took a moment to sniff the air, and sighed.  
>"Mmm... smells delicious!" Scootaloo said.<p>

But they were interrupted by a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Raindrop said. He walked out of the kitchen and disappeared around the corner, and all Scootaloo and Sunset could hear was the sound of the door opening, and his voice shake as he said "Oh, Mr. Persano!" Immediately, Scootaloo and Sunset frowned, and the hairs on the back of their necks stood up.  
>"Good afternoon, Mr. Raindrop," the Manehattan accented stallion replied, his voice pleasant but also a bit smug. "I know what you're thinking, 'what's a unicorn doing walking on clouds?' Well, I have a little spell for that. Mind if I come in?"<br>"Well, we were just about to have lunch," Raindrop started, his voice cracking under pressure, "and-"  
>"Please," Persano said as he pushed past Raindrop, "I insist." He walked into the kitchen, saw Scootaloo and Sunset, and gave them a smirk and a wave. From the look in his eyes, they could tell he was sizing them up, clearly enjoying the stress he was putting them through.<p>

"Hello, Mr. Persano," Sunset said, "What brings you here?"  
>"Oh, just thought I'd stop by and see how your wonderful family's doing," Persano said, his voice dripping with phony sincerity as he used his magic to pull a cigar out of his pocket, light it, and put it in his mouth. He walked over to a series of family pictures on the wall and looked at them. "Anything happen lately that I should know about? Anything at all?"<p>

"No, not really," Raindrop said, trying to position himself between Persano and his family.  
>"'Not really'," Persano said, taking a puff of his cigar. He looked over at the family, and gave them a glare. "Then how come you didn't pay your debt?"<p>

"We gave you what we could!" Raindrop exclaimed.  
>"Evidently not," Persano said coldly. "I got your deposit, and it was... oh, let's say 50 bits short."<br>"We had an emergency," Sunset said, standing up and standing beside her husband. "A friend of ours got in an accident, and needed surgery. She couldn't afford the hospital bill, so... we helped her out."  
>"We'll make it back to you, Mr. Persano," Raindrop added. "You have our word."<p>

Persano sighed, stood before them, and gave them a stern look. "Let me be perfectly clear with you two. I really could have used that 50 bits. I mean, I don't really need it or anything, but it could have bought me a nice case of cigars like this one right here. So you're tellin' me that you screwed ME over, just to KEEP THIS NOPONY ALIVE!" he screamed, startling Raindrop, Sunset and Scootaloo with his sudden burst of anger.

"She's not just a nopony," Raindrop snapped. "Her name's Golden Cloud. She's worked at the Cloudsdale hospital for most of her adult life. She's getting up there in years, but she tries her hardest!"  
>"So?" Persano said with a shrug. "What do I care? I don't think you two are really understanding the severity of the situation."<p>

Persano looked over Sunset's shoulders and saw Scootaloo, who was giving him a look of annoyance. As soon as he saw her, a twisted grin spread across his face.

"Let's give you a little incentive, eh?" Persano asked, and his horn lit up. Sunset and Raindrop heard a gagging noise behind them, and to their horror, Scootaloo was floated over their heads to Persano's open foreleg, being carried by a magical grip around her neck. Persano grabbed her and held her tight.

"NO!" Sunset yelled, "Don't do this!"  
>"She didn't do anything"! Raindrop screamed. "Leave her alone, you bastard!"<p>

"Well, that's just too bad, ain't it?" Persano said with an angry chuckle as he stood up on his hind legs, wrapped one foreleg around Scootaloo, and used the other to hold her right wing out.  
>"What are you doing?" Scootaloo yelled, "Let me go, you-"<br>"SHUT UP, YOU DUMB FOAL!" Persano yelled, squeezing her tightly enough to cause her great discomfort. "Okay, here's the deal: You give me my 50 bits, or I break this little bitch's wing like a twig!"

Sunset and Raindrop watched in horror as Persano held their struggling daughter in his grip, more than ready - even eager, judging by his twisted expression - to break her wing.  
>"Mr. Persano, don't do this," Raindrop begged. "We can work something out!"<br>"That's right," Persano said, using his magic to lift the cigar from his mouth and hold it in front of Scootaloo's horrifed face, the lit end pointed at her right eye. "You give Mr. Persano his money, or your little girl gets a broken wing and a bad eye!"

"Please," Sunset said, crying aloud, "Just... let her go. We'll get you your 50 bits."  
>Persano smiled, and he used his magic to return the cigar to his mouth. "Well, I'm glad we could come to an agreement." He let go of Scootaloo's wing and then threw her violently to the hard tile floor, making her whimper in pain as she landed head first. She got up, her forehead bleeding, and turned around to face Persano.<p>

"YOU CREEP! I OUGHTA-"  
>"Honey, please," Raindrop said as he held her in his forelegs and gave Persano a glare. "Mr. Persano, when we first came to you in our time of need, I knew you were a sleazeball." Persano just nonchalantly took a puff of his cigar, not paying Raindrop's words any mind. "But I never figured you for a monster."<br>"I love you too, Raindrop," Persano said with a shrug. "Now, I'm gonna be on a business trip in Appleloosa this weekend," he said as he started to head towards the door. "I expect you to be there with 100 bits."

"100!" Sunset exclaimed with disgust.  
>"Ever heard of late fees, sister?" Persano asked with a leer. "Well, I've enjoyed this visit, but I gotta jet. Take care of yourselves, you hear?" And with that, he walked out the door. Upon Persano's exit, Raindrop broke down in tears as he held his wife and daughter, cursing himself for resorting to borrowing money from a loan shark... especially one like Clyde Persano.<p>

"It's okay, guys," he said, sobbing. "We're gonna get through this... we'll just get the money together, head to Appleloosa, and after that, Persano will be out of our lives for good."

...

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stared at Scootaloo with shock and disgust as she finished telling her story.

"...So we got whatever money together we could," Scootaloo explained. "I got some out of my piggy bank, we took some out of my loans, and came up with enough. And then we headed out to Appleloosa, and that's when..." Her voice trailed off, and she pounded the table with her hoof in frustration.

"A box of cigars," Scootaloo said, her voice thick with both anger and sorrow. "He sent my mom and dad to their deaths for a box of cigars. Sure, he didn't know... but still..." She scowled, and tears came to her eyes.

"I hate him so much..."

"Why'd your daddy even borrow money from him in the first place?" Apple Bloom asked.  
>"Well, we were desperate," Scootaloo said. "Dad sprained his wing and lost his job, and he kept saying we were running out of money... so he went to that creep. Dad didn't know how bad he was, though..."<p>

Apple Bloom put her hoof on Scootaloo's. "Tell ya what. Next time he comes 'round these parts, I'll tell Applejack to give him the bad apples. And Sweetie Belle, you tell Rarity that if he ever comes to her shop, give him something really itchy."  
>Sweetie Belle gave Apple Bloom a look of confusion. "Why would that guy buy a dress?"<br>"Doesn't Rarity make suits, too?" Apple Bloom asked.  
>"Oh yeah... I forgot," Sweetie Belle said. "But yeah, Scootaloo. We'll do whatever we can to make his life harder... Cutie Mark Crusaders style!"<p>

"Thanks," Scootaloo said, a smile coming to her face, when she heard a knock on the door. Her heart sank at the possibility of it being Persano, but the scratchy voice that called for her lifted it back up.

"Hey Scoots, I'm here!" Rainbow Dash yelled from outside. "Can I come in, or is it a "no grown-ups allowed" thing?"  
>Scootaloo laughed. "No, you can come in." The door swung open and Rainbow Dash flew in and landed.<p>

"Hey, guys," Rainbow said, waving to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "You been behaving?"  
>"Yeah," Sweetie Belle said. "Have you?"<br>"Depends on who you ask," Rainbow said, making the three fillies laugh. "So, you ready to go home, Scoots?"  
>Scootaloo stood up and grabbed the stack of homework off of the table. "Yeah. Well, bye girls!"<p>

"Bye!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said in unison, waving.  
>As Scootaloo followed Rainbow Dash outside, Rainbow looked back at her with a grin. "Have I got a surprise for you..."<br>"What is it!" Scootaloo exclaimed.  
>"Now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Rainbow said with a laugh. "Just follow me. But first, let's say goodbye to AJ."<p>

"Wait," Scootaloo said, uneasy. "Is that guy in the suit gone?"  
>"No, he's still there," Rainbow said. "That was Clyde Persano, that mobster dude from Manehattan. What about him?"<br>"I... REALLY don't wanna see him again," Scootaloo blurted. "Can we just go?"  
>"Sure," Rainbow said with a shrug. "What, do you know that Persano guy or something?"<br>"I'll tell you later," Scootaloo said.  
>"Alright," Rainbow said. "Hold on!" She jumped from the porch of the clubhouse and soon took flight, darting up into the sky.<p>

"So tell me about this Persano guy," Rainbow Dash said, curious. She had recognized him as the sleazy unicorn who had just been cleared of a murder charge, and somewhat dreaded hearing what Scootaloo had to do with him.  
>With a sigh, Scootaloo told Rainbow Dash exactly what she told Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. By the time she was done, Rainbow looked absolutely lived.<p>

"... I oughta turn around right now and shove that cigar of his right up his ass!" Rainbow yelled, livid. "If he ever comes for you on my watch... I don't know what I'll do to him!"  
>"Could you do a Sonic Rainboom on him?" Scootaloo asked.<br>"Heh," Rainbow scoffed. "That's too good for him. Why haven't you told me all this before, kiddo?"  
>Scootaloo sighed. "It's just that... I didn't really want to talk about it," she explained.<br>"Well, I'll tell ya one thing," Rainbow said. "He'll never hurt you AGAIN while I'm around. I promise."

They soon arrived at Rainbow Dash's house and landed on the porch. Scootaloo hopped off of Rainbow's back, still clinging to her homework with her wings, and followed Rainbow inside. After setting her homework on the kitchen table, Rainbow came up behind her and covered her eyes.  
>"Okay, let's go to your room," Rainbow said, "Your surprise is gonna be on your bed."<br>"Give me a clue!" Scootaloo begged eagerly.  
>"Uh-uh-uh! Not yet!" Rainbow said teasingly. "Just come on."<p>

Rainbow Dash led Scootaloo up the stairs, covering her eyes all the while, until they came to Scootaloo's bedroom. "Okay, you ready?"  
>"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Scootaloo cheered. Rainbow took her hoof from Scootaloo's face, revealing what looked like a sort of vest with socks on the sides sitting on her bed.<br>"It's a trainer!" Rainbow explained. "You put it on, and it'll help keep your wings straight while you're learning to fly. The guy at the store told me that he's heard NOTHING but success stories with this baby."

Scootaloo beamed with delight. Clyde Persano may have gotten her in a bad mood, but Rainbow Dash's actions pushed him to the very back of her mind. "Thank you, Rainbow!"  
>"No problem," Rainbow said with a shrug. "Go ahead, try it on!"<p>

Scootaloo picked up the trainer, and Rainbow Dash helped her put it on. "Okay, your wings go in these weird sock-things," Rainbow explained. "They don't look like much, but they have these little wires in them that help keep your wings straight. But you can still bend and fold your wings if you need to."  
>"Awesome," Scootaloo said, looking back at her wings with the trainer on.<br>"You just slip your front legs through these holes, and buckle 'er up, and you're all set!" Rainbow said eagerly. "Do you like it?"  
>"I love it," Scootaloo said smiling. Not only was the trainer surprisingly comfortable, it was also obviously high quality... and expensive. "How much did you.."<br>"Don't worry about it," Rainbow said. "We'll see how it works when I take you for some flying lessons tomorrow."

Scootaloo gasped. "Tomorrow?"  
>"Yup, after we're done with school and work," Rainbow said. "We'll go wherever you like."<br>"I'd love that," Scootaloo said, grinning. "Can we go now?"  
>"Naw, you've got homework," Rainbow said. "Don't you wanna get that crap over with?"<br>"Yeah," Scootaloo admitted.  
>"Then come on," Rainbow said with confidence. "Let's get in there and squash it like a bug."<p>

...

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo spent most of the evening working on Scootaloo's homework together. It mostly consisted of some basic math and language problems, as well as the paper about mountains. But as they worked through it, Scootaloo was taken aback by just how knowledgeable Rainbow was. She knew how to work every math problem and how to spell every word, which wasn't too surprising. But while Scootaloo was writing her report about the mountain she would like to visit - which was the mountain in the Uncharted Land - Rainbow gave her pointers about grammar and sentence structure that showed a knowledge rivaling even Cheerilee's.

"...well, that's all she wrote," Rainbow Dash said as Scootaloo finished the paper. "It looks good! I'm proud of you."  
>"Thanks," Scootaloo said. "And I had some help, of course. Hey Rainbow, don't take this the wrong way... but you're smarter than I thought. All that stuff about run-on sentences and proper syntax..."<br>Rainbow laughed. "Hey, hang around Twilight long enough, and you learn all sorts of stuff," she said. "Well, you've got that whooped... and when I was growing up, whenever I finished my homework, my dad would give me something special." She stood up and walked over to a cabinet, and started rummaging around inside. "Now where the hay did I put it... HERE!" She pulled out a large plastic container holding a chocolate cake with pink icing.

"Mmm, cake!" Scootaloo said, hopping up and rushing over to Rainbow.  
>"Thought you might like it," Rainbow Dash said as she set the cake down on the counter. "Plus, all that homework got me hungry." As she took the plastic lid off and got plates, Scootaloo started looking through drawers until she found a knife, which Rainbow quickly took.<br>"Whoa whoa whoa, kiddo!" Rainbow exclaimed with a grin as she grabbed the knife. "Let me do that, you'd cut your ears off!" She then cut four small pieces out of the cake - two for her and two for Scootaloo - and set them on two plates, two to a plate. They sat down at the table with their plates and quickly dug in.

"Mmm!" Scootaloo exclaimed after eating a bit of cake, "This is really good! Where'd you get it?"  
>"Pinkie," Rainbow said. "She asked me if I wanted a cake and I said 'sure, why not'."<br>Scootaloo paused. That sounded a bit too simple for Pinkie Pie. "That's all?"  
>"Well, no," Rainbow said with a grin. "I was just sittin' on a cloud when she just popped up out of the cloud with a cake in her hooves. Don't ask me how. Oh, and she was also dressed like a pirate. Maybe she was playing with that Pipsqueak kid? I dunno."<br>Scootaloo laughed. "Now THAT sounds like Pinkie."

After they finished their cake, Scootaloo glanced out the window and noticed that it had gotten dark outside. "Whoa, already? Man, I guess I've been wrong all this time: Time really does fly when you're doing homework!"  
>"Sure does," Rainbow Dash said. "It's about time for you to go to bed."<br>Scootaloo shook her head. "But I'm not sle-" she was interrupted as a huge yawn came out of her mouth in place of words, and Rainbow Dash gave a gentle chuckle.  
>"C'mon, let's get you in bed." She unfolded her wings and motioned to her back. "Want a ride?"<br>"Yeah!" Scootaloo said, her enthusiasm coming through despite her droopy eyes and tired voice. She hopped up onto Rainbow Dash's back and sat down, and Rainbow took her upstairs to her room where she hopped off and climbed under the covers, her body making a small lump in the bedspread.

"Need anything else?" Rainbow Dash asked.  
>"Nah, I'm okay," Scootaloo said, and then yawned again. "Thanks, though. Thanks for the cake, and the trainer, and for being so awesome to me-"<br>"Hey, no sweat," Rainbow said. "Well, if that's everything, then goodnight."  
>"'Night!" Scootaloo said, "I love you!"<br>"I love you too," Rainbow said with a smile. "Remember, I'm right down the hall." She left and closed the door, leaving Scootaloo alone in her room. And within moments of turning off her lamp, Scootaloo fell asleep.

...

The sun was setting on the horizon, painting the sky a deep red as Scootaloo mournfully walked through Canterlot Cemetery. It had been a week since the incident happened, but this was her first visit to... it.

As she walked through the lonely cemetery, the cold Winter air chilling her to the bones, Scootaloo looked all around her at the headstones that seemed to tower over her at every direction. They were all engraved with the names of deceased ponies, and while some of them had lived long, healthy lives, others had been cut tragically short. One of these ponies was somepony Scootaloo loved and adored, and was coming to visit.

Finally, Scootaloo arrived at a dark, winged gravestone that towered above all the others. And while she was well aware of who was buried there, seeing it in stone for the first time brought tears to her eyes.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

RAINBOW DASH

1989 - 2015

GREATLY MISSED MOTHER, FRIEND, HOLDER OF THE ELEMENT OF LOYALTY, AND HEROINE OF EQUESTRIA

NOPONY LOVED THE SKY MORE

REST IN PEACE

That horrible white Troll came back for Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash attacked him and yelled at her to run. But Scootaloo hid behind some bushes and watched in horror as Rainbow fought valiantly against the white Troll, showing unspeakable courage and resolve even as his claws were ripping her skin to ribbons. But while Rainbow was tough and determined to protect Scootaloo, she was still no match for the white Troll, and he literally tore her to pieces before running off into the woods. Scootaloo would have given anything to drive the memory of Rainbow's mutilated remains and the stench of blood out of her head.

Rainbow Dash's house, now empty and sad, was sold to a Pegasus family. Taking up an offer by Applejack, Scootaloo moved in with the Apple family, and they treated her as if she had always been a part of their tight-nit unit. But still... she couldn't believe that her hero, her idol, and most of all, her beloved friend, big sister figure and adoptive mother, was gone forever. The fact that somepony so vibrant, fun-loving and full of life was dead... it was more than Scootaloo could take.

Scootaloo tearfully looked around to make sure that nopony else was around, and then walked up to Rainbow Dash's gravestone, curled up next to it, and started crying uncontrollably. The cold stone was uncomfortable to be up against, and the fact that Rainbow Dash's cold, lifeless corpse was just six feet underneath her just made her cry even more. But it was the closest Scootaloo would ever get to snuggling up next to her again.

"Sh...she's gone..." Scootaloo managed through the sobs, her eyes already hurting from crying so hard, "...I'm never gonna see her again."

…

Scootaloo shot up out of bed and turned on the light. She was sweating profusely, her heart was beating a mile a minute, and her eyes were brimming with tears. She then looked over at her Rainbow Dash plush, with its little face smiling up at her… and just broke down completely.

It was the worst dream she'd EVER had. The sight of Rainbow Dash dying horribly and painfully, her mutilated corpse, and even the smell of blood was fresh in Scootaloo's mind, and she began to fear that it would stick with her for the rest of her life. It was just like how her parents died, but somehow, Rainbow's death was even more gruesome.

Scootaloo wiped her tears, tossed aside her bedspread, and hopped out of bed onto her hooves. She had to check on Rainbow Dash. She knew that Rainbow was still alive, but after what she saw in her dream... she had to make sure. After creeping across her bedroom to the door, Scootaloo opened it as quietly as she could and stepped out into the dark hallway. Walking as quietly as possible, she then snuck down the hallway to Rainbow Dash's bedroom door and quietly opened it, half dreading the site of an empty bed.

As she silently pushed the door open, Scootaloo looked into the dark room. Her eyes were adjusting to the darkness, just enough to make out the form of Rainbow Dash's bed... and a slowly breathing lump on top of it.

"Oh... hi Soarin... hi Spitfire," the lump muttered in a slightly scratchy voice, revealing itself as Rainbow Dash, "You mean... I made it in the Wonderbolts... oh, that's... that's so awesome... but I can't... leave Scoots..."

Scootaloo wiped the tears from her eyes and quietly sighed with relief - Rainbow Dash was alive and well, and it was all just a horrible, horrible dream. However, there was no way she was getting back to sleep with the image of Rainbow's corpse fresh in her mind, so she crept over to the side of the bed, taking care to look where she was walking so she wouldn't step on anything or knock anything over. As much as she hated to wake Rainbow up from what sounded like a wonderful dream... she just had to. After reaching the side of Rainbow's bed, Scootaloo gently shook her.

Rainbow Dash groaned groggily as she rolled over to face whoever was shaking her, and her rose-colored eyes blinked open, trying to make out who it was. "Huh… wha?" She reached over to her officially licensed Wonderbolts lamp and turned on the light, revealing her disturber as a teary-eyed Scootaloo. This sight instantly snapped her out of her grogginess. "Whoa, what's..."

"MOMMY!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she grabbed Rainbow Dash in a hug, relieved but still shaken up, "I had the worst dream ever!"  
>At first, Rainbow was taken aback - did Scootaloo just call her "mommy"? - but quickly patted her on the back. "Shhhh… it's okay," she said softly. "Was it about Trolls?"<br>"Sorta," Scootaloo said shakily, holding Rainbow as tightly as she could, never wanting to let go of her again. "But... oh, it was awful!"

"Well, why don't you have a seat and tell me what it was about?" Rainbow suggested, pointing a hoof to the foot of her bed. "Maybe if you got it out, you would feel a little better."

"O..okay," Scootaloo sobbed. She hopped up onto Rainbow's bed and sat down in front of her.  
>"It was…" she started, but she couldn't finish and started sobbing again. "I'm sorry, I hate that you have to see me like this…"<p>

"Scoots," Rainbow said softly, leaning forward and putting her hooves on Scootaloo's shoulders, "…it's okay. Now tell me what it was about, and we can go from there."  
>Scootaloo nodded tearfully, and then started to whisper into Rainbow's ear. As she told Rainbow all about her dream, Rainbow's expression went from concern, to shock, to horror, to ultimately befuddlement. Scootaloo finished telling her dream, and pulled back, staring at Rainbow tearfully.<p>

"…I'm sorry, but what the hay did you drink before going to bed, kiddo?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow. "Whatever it was, we gotta cut that out."  
>"I…I don't know," Scootaloo whimpered, "But… I don't think I'll ever get over it! Just you getting..." She tried to continue, but her throat clenched up and more tears streamed out of her eyes. She could only cry as she hugged Rainbow again, burying her face into the mare's shoulder.<p>

"There, there," Rainbow Dash said gently, "It was just a bad dream. That Luna damned Troll isn't gonna kill me," she said, her voice seething with hatred as she thought of the Troll that had caused Scootaloo so much misery. "Hey, I've already killed two Trolls... if anything, HE should be scared of ME."  
>"Darn right," Scootaloo said, starting to regain her composure.<br>"And I'll always be here for ya, Squirt," Rainbow continued, looking into Scootaloo's purple eyes, feeling more like her mother than ever. "Always. You know that! Element of Loyalty? Well, my loyalty's to you."

Scootaloo wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. "Thanks."  
>"Anytime, kiddo," Rainbow Dash said with a shrug and a grin. "So, you feeling better?"<br>"Yeah," Scootaloo said, but then a frown came to her face as she thought about the dream again. "But that dream was so bad, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep agai-"

"Tell ya what, Squirt," Rainbow interrupted, with a kind smile. She scooted over to the right of the bed, and patted the empty space next to her. "You can sleep with me tonight."

"You sure?" Scootaloo asked. "You did sleep with me for like a whole week..."  
>"Week, schmeek," Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I'm happy to be here for ya. Besides, it's not like you snore or anything."<br>Scootaloo smiled and crawled across Rainbow's bed to the empty space next to her and slid under the covers, her small body making a lump in the rainbow lightening bolt on Rainbow's comforter. But then she noticed a stack of papers on Rainbow's nightstand, covered in her handwriting.

"Hey, what's that?"  
>"Oh, that," Rainbow Dash said with a proud smile. "I'm writing my own Daring-Do story... I'm gettin' pretty close to the end!"<br>Scootaloo's eyes lit up with excitement. A new Daring-Do story, written by Rainbow Dash! She had borrowed all of the other books from Twilight Sparkle's library after Rainbow's recommendation, and was eager for a new story. "What's it about?"  
>"It's really cool," Rainbow said. "Daring-Do finds this evil cult that worships Discord in the jungle and sacrifices ponies by dipping them in chocolate milk!"<br>Scootaloo groaned with disgust. "Ugh... you're writing a story about HIM!" Aside from Clyde Persano and the white Troll, she couldn't think of anybody she thoroughly despised as much as Discord.  
>"Hmm hmm," Rainbow nodded. "He comes back from stone, and tries to open this big box of chaos, and these spirits come out and... nah, I won't spoil it."<br>"Something bad happens to him, doesn't it?" Scootaloo asked, a grin on her face.  
>"Well... let's just say that's putting it lightly," Rainbow said.<p>

"COOL!" Scootaloo said, beaming with excitement. "Will you read it to me when you're done?"  
>"Of course!" Rainbow Dash said. "Now c'mon, let's get some shut-eye. It's waaaay past your bedtime."<br>"Oh, alright," Scootaloo said, resting her head on the comfortable pillow. Rainbow got ready to turn the Wonderbolts lamp off, when she stopped.

"Say, Scoots... you called me 'mommy'," Rainbow Dash said, looking behind her shoulder at Scootaloo, who looked surprised.  
>"I did?"<br>"Yup," Rainbow nodded.  
>Scootaloo thought about it. It still felt odd to refer to anypony other than Sunset her mother... but at the same time, Rainbow Dash legally was her mother now. And the more time Scootaloo spent with Rainbow, the more Rainbow felt like a mother to her.<br>"Well... you ARE my mom, legally, I mean," Scootaloo said. "And well, since..." She thought about Sunset and Raindrop and felt her heart ache... but Rainbow was feeling less and less like an older friend, and more and more like her own blood. "Well, is it okay if I call you 'Mom' now?"

"That's your call, Scoots," Rainbow said, feeling honored that Scootaloo thought so highly of her. "Rainbow Dash, Mom... no matter what it is, I'm the same mare. Call me whatever you feel comfy with."  
>"Okay, Mom," Scootaloo said, a warm smile spreading across her muzzle.<p>

Rainbow Dash could only smile bashfully... yet again, she felt like melting. "Well, okay then. Now let's go to bed." She turned off the light, turning the room completely dark, and then felt Scootaloo cuddling up against her. With a smile, she wrapped her forelegs around Scootaloo and kissed her on the forehead. "'Night, Scoots."  
>"'Night, Mom," Scootaloo smiled, kissing her back. "I love you so much."<br>"I love you too, kiddo," Rainbow said warmly.

Scootaloo was the happiest she had been in ages. While she would never quite get over losing her birth parents, and while her dream was absolutely horrible... snuggling up to Rainbow Dash's warm, comforting body and being held in her hooves made the pain go away. She closed her eyes, and before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.


	7. Meeting Vinyl

Clyde Persano lit up his first cigar of the day as he rode in the back of his luxury carriage, looking out the window at the early morning's bright orange sun. Taking a puff of his cigar, he sat in his maroon leather couch and thought. At first, he had been annoyed that the murder trial had taken him from his work, but after yesterday's events he was actually thankful for it. He felt confident that he had found the perfect template for a project he was working on.

"We're almost there, Mr. Persano!" a thick, gravely voice boomed from the speaker in Persano's carriage chamber. Persano simply smiled as he took another puff of his cigar.  
>"Good," he said, leaning to the speaker. "Bring us in."<p>

Within seconds, Persano's carriage came to a large, floating yacht with a black coat of paint and a maroon balloon keeping it in the sky. A hatch in the yacht's bow opened, and the pegasus stallions pulling the carriage slowed their approach as they flew into the yacht's garage. After a whole night of flying, they had finally arrived at the Midnight Jewel, Persano's personal steam-powered yacht, situated right over one of his many gold mines.

One of the pegasus stallions walked up to the carriage's side door and held it open as Persano stepped out, barely even shooting the pegasus a glance as he walked away. Persano was headed to an elevator at the end of the garage, when his ears picked up a loud hissing noise. A look to the ceiling revealed that one of the pipes over the garage had a hole in it, and was billowing a small jet of steam.

"I swear," Persano groaned. "I leave for four days, and look what happens..." He stepped in the elevator's leather-walled interior and pushed a button, closing the doors and causing the elevator to rise. After being in Ponyville and dealing with its simpler technology, Persano enjoyed being in his state-of-the-art yacht even more than he usually did. A significant portion of Persano's fortune came from the technology he invented and had his scientists create, which pushed the limits of what was thought to be possible. It also served as a convenient front for his operations, which were often highly illegal.

By the time Persano was finished thinking about how much of a relief it was to be in a place with technology that fit his standards, the doors opened, revealing the yacht's deck. As he stepped out of the elevator, Persano looked around until he saw a short, stout brown unicorn stallion wearing a black fedora and a gaudy yellow Hawaiian shirt, standing at the railing, looking out over the valley.

"Fedora, what the buck?" Persano yelled at his lead captain, and the unicorn turned to face him. "I leave you in charge, and I come back to a busted pipe in the garage?"  
>"Oh crap," Fedora said nervously, beads of sweat starting to drip down his face. "That wasn't there last night, Mr. Persano, I swear..."<br>"Well get it fixed," Persano ordered, "it sounds like somepony takin' a leak."  
>"I'll get it done, Mr. Persano," Fedora promised, partially out of fear.<p>

"Good to hear," Persano said with a smirk before leaning against the railing. "So, how's business?"  
>"Business is good," Fedora said. "Just yesterday, we found a huge cave full of gold veins the size of this here yacht!"<br>Persano's red eyes lit up and a wide smile came to his face. "Now that's some good news. Okay, how's the construction going?"  
>"It's actually almost done," Fedora explained. "I mean, there's still some work to do inside, but I'd say it's about 90 percent complete."<br>"The power up and running?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"And nopony can see it, right?" Persano asked.  
>"Trust me, nopony's gonna see it past that mountain," Fedora said. "We've even sent out guys at night to check, and it might as well be invisible from the border."<br>"Good," Persano said with a nod. "And our decoy's working?" he asked, pointing a hoof down to the gold mine the yacht was floating over."  
>"As far as I know, yeah," Fedora answered.<p>

"Great," Persano said, taking a satisfied puff of his cigar. "Now that headquarters is up and running, I can really get started."  
>"Fantastic," Fedora said, still sounding nervous. "So... aside from the pipe, did I do a good job?"<br>"I guess," Persano said with a deadpan shrug. "Now, while I was in Ponyville, I bought a huge load of cider from that apple orchard there. I expect it to be put in my office at headquarters by tonight."  
>"Sure, Mr. Persano," Fedora said. "Uh... do we get any?"<br>"What do you think?" Persano said with an annoyed expression.  
>"...no?"<br>"Bingo!" Persano said. "Now, I'm gonna be gone for the rest of the day, but I'll be back tomorrow morning. I still have some business in Ponyville..."  
>"What is it, if you don't mind me asking?" Fedora asked. "Just curious."<br>A dark smile came to Persano's face. "Well, remember when I told you about that family who owed me 50 bits, and I roughed their daughter up a little?" He couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of the filly struggling against his grasp, and her yelp of pain as he threw her to the floor.  
>"Which one?" Fedora asked. "Those Pegasi?"<br>"Yep," Persano said. "Well, the husband and wife got killed by some Troll on the way to Appleloosa, the useless fruits. But when I was gettin' the cider, I saw their daughter with some other kids. And I'm thinking she may be a perfect template for our little project."

"What makes you think that?" Fedora asked, uncertain.  
>"She has fight in her," Persano said. "She tried to beat me up even after I put a dent in her head. That kind of spirit is just what we need."<br>"I see," Fedora said, sounding somewhat uncomfortable with Persano's plan.

"Well, I gotta jet," Persano said, stepping away from the railing. "Now I don't wanna come back to any busted pipes, got it?"  
>"Affirmative, Mr. Persano," Fedora said.<br>"And for Pete's sake, recast the buckin' shield spell once you're over the border," Persano added, rolling his eyes. "Apparently, they found hoofprints while they were looking for some guards who disappeared around there. We damn near got caught three times now." He walked back to Fedora and brought his face close to the other unicorn's to further emphasize his point.

"First Tommy goofed and disappointed me. Then Forello goofed and disappointed me. And now, we can add Sonny Boy to that list. Unless you wanna end up on that list, cover your tracks. You're my best captain. Don't disappoint me, Fedora."

"Don't worry Mr. Persano, I won't," Fedora said. With a smirk, Persano left, and Fedora shuddered at the memory of what had happened to the last three stallions who disappointed his boss.

If the pay weren't so good, Fedora would never work with Persano again.

...

Rainbow Dash woke up to the sound of rock music playing on her alarm radio. With a yawn, she stretched and hit the alarm, only to notice that something was amiss: Scootaloo wasn't there. "Huh? Where'd she go?"  
>Within seconds, she got her answer as an excited Scootaloo came rushing into her bedroom. "Mom, get up! I made breakfast!"<p>

"Okay," Rainbow Dash said groggily, still not quite awake, "Just let me brush my- wait." Her mind had just fully processed Scootaloo's words. "You made breakfast?"  
>"Yeah!" Scootaloo said, eagerly nodding. "I made waffles and pancakes!"<br>Rainbow wasn't quite sure what to say. "Uh... okay then! I'll meet you downstairs."

As Scootaloo ran downstairs, Rainbow Dash walked into her bathroom to brush her teeth, half-dreading Scootaloo's breakfast. While she hadn't noticed any of the typical signs of a bad breakfast - the pleasant aroma of fresh pancakes and waffles hung in the air rather than the stench of burnt food, and Scootaloo wasn't covered in ingredients - she didn't have much confidence that Scootaloo's breakfast would be very good. But it wasn't the food she was dreading, it was the chance that Scootaloo may see through her act of liking the food and be hurt.

After brushing her teeth and spending a few seconds combing her mane, Rainbow Dash trotted downstairs to the kitchen, trying her best to appear excited. But when she walked in the kitchen, she was greeted by the sight of two plates full of delicious-looking golden brown waffles and pancakes, covered with glistening maple syrup and slices of butter.

"What do you wanna drink?" Scootaloo asked, her back to Rainbow as she rummaged around in the refrigerator. "We've got milk - both regular and chocolate, we've got apple cider, we've got orange juice..."

"Chocolate milk sounds good," Rainbow Dash said eagerly. Even though it reminded her of Discord's reign of terror and chaos, it tasted too good for her to stop drinking it just because of some bad memories.  
>"Okay, chocolate milk comin' riiiight up," Scootaloo said as she stood on her hind legs and poured the chocolate milk into two blue mugs, each adorned with the Wonderbolts logo. "Oh yeah, and I found out what was wrong with the toaster," she added with a grin. "One of the racks was bent! I got it straight though, and it worked like a charm."<p>

"Heh, thanks," Rainbow said. She sat and waited for Scootaloo to get settled, but the smiling filly insisted that she get started. "You don't have to wait for me! Dig in."

Rainbow Dash sat down at the counter and grabbed a fork and knife with each hoof before cutting a small piece out of one of her waffles. She put the piece in her mouth, chewed it, and instantly smiled broadly.

"WHOA, KIDDO!" Rainbow exclaimed, and Scootaloo's ears perked up as she stood at full attention. "Where'd you learn to make such a mean pancake?"  
>"My Mom taught me," Scootaloo said proudly as Rainbow eagerly ate more of her waffles and pancakes. "I swear, she was the best cook in Equestria."<p>

"I believe it," Rainbow Dash said, "and you're gonna follow in her hoofsteps. These are the best waffles and pancakes I've ever had!"  
>"Really?" Scootaloo said, smiling. "You mean it?"<br>"Hay yeah!" Rainbow exclaimed, "Look at my plate!" Scootaloo couldn't believe her eyes - Rainbow had already devoured over half of her breakfast.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Slow down, you'll get a huge stomach ache!"  
>Rainbow Dash laughed. "Hey, I'M the mother here," she said playfully. "You don't get to order me around, it's against the rules! But you're right, I'll slow down."<p>

"Yeesh, I haven't even started yet," Scootaloo laughed as she sat down opposite Rainbow Dash and started to eat her own breakfast.  
>"Hey, Scoots," Rainbow started, "... no bad dreams?"<br>"No bad dreams," Scootaloo said, smiling as she remembered the previous night. The memory of that horrible dream was still vivid in her mind, but the memory of Rainbow comforting her and letting her sleep in her bed was even more vivid.

"Good," Rainbow Dash said with a smile. "Oh... I meant to ask you this earlier, but those bullies didn't give you trouble yesterday, did they?"  
>"Well, one of 'em did," Scootaloo said. "It was Diamond Tiara."<br>"Ya mean Princess Who-Gives-A-Crap?" Rainbow asked, a smirk on her face.  
>"Yeah, her," Scootaloo laughed. "But you're not gonna believe what she said. She called you a little filly chaser for adopting me!"<p>

"Well, I never," Rainbow Dash said, taken aback. "I've been called a lot of things, but that's a first. What the hay are y'all doing talking about that crap, anyway? You're just kids!"  
>"My Dad told me what it meant," Scootaloo said, and a scowl came to her face as she remembered the event. "I've never been so mad in my life."<p>

"What did you do?" Rainbow asked.  
>"I chewed her out, that's what I did!" Scootaloo said. "I don't even remember half of what I said, I was so mad. I just know I got her to go away. I tried to ignore her, but when she said that, I wanted to sock her so bad...I didn't, but I sure did feel like it."<p>

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Well, good. A hoof to the face isn't always the answer."  
>Scootaloo couldn't help but snicker. "Yeah. Because you totally used that philosophy when you threatened to beat up those really annoying guys who had that cider machine."<p>

Rainbow Dash just laughed heartily at Scootaloo's sarcasm. "Darn, you got me there." She checked the time while taking the last sip of her chocolate milk, and stood up. "Well, we better get goin'."

Scootaloo finished the last of her breakfast and grabbed her saddlebag, full of her completed homework. "Boy, I betcha Miss Cheerilee's gonna be surprised that I've gotten all this done already... of course, I did have some help." She winked at Rainbow Dash, who gave her a wink in return. They walked out the door and Scootaloo hopped onto Rainbow's back. It was a clear, sunny day... perfect for their flying lesson.

"You figured out where you wanna go today, Scoot?" Rainbow Dash asked as she took flight towards the school.  
>Scootaloo thought for a moment. "You know that big mountain in the Uncharted Land? You haven't been anywhere you can see it from, have you?"<p>

"Actually, yeah, I know a place. You wanna go there, we will."  
>"I'd love that," Scootaloo said excitedly. "That mountain's so cool! Shame it's over in Troll territory. Hey, have you heard any more about... Whiteclaw?" she asked, her voice taking on a far less enthusiastic tone.<br>"Nope," Rainbow Dash said. "Though I did read this morning that the barrier had been deactivated and that all the guards around it had just disappeared without a trace. The Princess got the wall back up, but they still don't know who did it, or where those guards went. Pretty creepy if you ask me."  
>"Yeah," Scootaloo said, full of unease.<p>

They soon arrived at the schoolhouse, and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were standing at its entrance, waiting for their friend to arrive. They eagerly waved to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, who both waved back. Rainbow landed on the grass and Scootaloo hopped off of her back.

"So where do ya want me to pick you up?" Rainbow asked.  
>"The clubhouse again," Scootaloo said. She had a plan for later on that she couldn't wait to carry out. "Hey, Mom?"<br>"Mmm?"  
>"Can you take my scooter to the clubhouse before you get to work?" Scootaloo asked. "I know you can pull it off, but do you mind?"<br>"Nope. That scooter will be waiting for ya inside when you get there." Rainbow gave Scootaloo a hug. "Have fun, Scoots."  
>"Thanks, Mom," Scootaloo said, hugging her back. "See ya later!"<p>

As Rainbow Dash bid her goodbye and flew off, Scootaloo trotted up to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.  
>"Hey, Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom said, "How's it goin'?"<br>"It's goin' good," Scootaloo said with a smile. "Hey... I need to talk to you a second." She then looked at Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie, this is just between me and Apple Bloom, so you go on inside."

"Why?" Sweetie Belle asked.  
>"Because it's a surprise!" Scootaloo said. "Now go on, shoo."<br>As Sweetie Belle headed into the schoolhouse, excitedly wondering what the surprise could be, Scootaloo leaned in close to Apple Bloom and started to whisper in her ear.

"Hey... somepony just moved to Ponyville, and I think she's somepony all three of us would like to meet," Scootaloo whispered. "Especially Sweetie Belle!"  
>"Who is it?" Apple Bloom asked.<br>"It's DJ PON-3!" Scootaloo whispered.  
>"Cool!" Apple Bloom exclaimed as quietly as she could, but then a frown came to her face. "Who the hay's DJ PON-3?"<br>"You know that DJ with the blue mane and the purple sunglasses?" Scootaloo asked. "Her."  
>Apple Bloom thought for a moment. "Oh, I think I know who you're talkin' 'bout now. Yeah, Sweetie Belle would love it!"<br>"I know, but we've gotta keep it a surprise," Scootaloo said. "It'll be more fun that way! Now we better get to class before we get in trouble!"

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom galloped into the schoolhouse.

...

"Miss Cheerilee, I have something I need to tell you! Something important!"

Cheerilee looked up from her lesson plan at Diamond Tiara, who was standing in front of her desk with a concerned expression. "What is it, Diamond Tiara?"  
>"It's about Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo," Diamond continued. "We need to save Scootaloo before it's too late! I found out that Rainbow Dash is into little fillies!"<p>

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow, rather skeptical of Diamond Tiara's claims. This hadn't been the first time the class troublemaker had made up a story. "That's an awfully serious accusation, Diamond Tiara," Cheerilee said. "Have you got any proof?"  
>"Well, about that..." Diamond started, and her eyes started to shift, looking around the room - a telltale mark of a liar. "I was walking to Sugar Cube Corner with Silver Spoon, and Rainbow Dash... uh, she approached us with this evil grin on her face, and said that we were... almost as hot as Scootaloo was. Yeah, that's what happened! I swear. So... guess we better lock Rainbow Dash up and find Scootaloo a new mommy, huh?"<p>

It took everything within Cheerilee to keep from rolling her eyes in exasperation.  
>"Diamond Tiara?"<br>"...yeah?"  
>"How stupid do you think I am?" Cheerilee said, her usual pleasant demeanor replaced by anger.<br>"I can't read your mind, how am I supposed to know?" Diamond said, shrugging. "How stupid ARE you?"  
>"And why in Equestria would you make this up?" Cheerilee continued, ignoring Diamond's attempted insult. "Especially after what happened to Scootaloo?"<br>"I... don't know," Diamond said. "I guess I'm just... jealous."

"Well, you can think about how jealous you are when you're spending the rest of the week in detention," Cheerilee said as Diamond Tiara's self-satisfied expression was replaced with terror. "You will also write a five-page report on why you shouldn't make up accusations about somepony you don't even know. And I will also be contacting your parents about this."  
>"But-"<br>"No buts," Cheerilee said sternly. "Now please take your seat."

With a defeated grumble, Diamond Tiara stormed to her seat to a chorus of snickering colts and fillies and sat down, next to Silver Spoon.  
>"I told you that wouldn't-" Silver Spoon started before being cut off.<br>"Shut up, Silver Spoon," Diamond Tiara grumbled, with her forelegs folded and a scowl on her face. As Cheerilee shushed the class, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom walked into the schoolhouse, which put her in an even more foul mood. Before sitting down, Scootaloo trotted up to Cheerilee's desk.

"Hello, Scootaloo!" Cheerilee said, thankful that she hadn't been there to hear Diamond Tiara's attempts at making her life miserable.  
>"Hi, Miss Cheerilee!" Scootaloo replied, and she took the saddlebag off and opened it. "I got everything done last night."<br>"Excellent!" Cheerilee said, taking up the stack of papers. "I'm very proud of you."  
>"Thanks," Scootaloo said, smiling. She and Apple Bloom then sat down next to Sweetie Belle who had a smile on her face.<p>

"Oh, you should have been here!" Sweetie whispered to Scootaloo, "Diamond Tiara told Cheerilee that Rainbow Dash was a... whatever that word is!"  
>"Oh, really?" Scootaloo said.<br>"Yeah... she's in so much trouble!"  
>"Serves her right," Scootaloo said, satisfied, when Cheerilee tapped her forehoof on the desk.<p>

"Okay everypony, let's begin," she said, and the class gave her their full attention... with the exception of Diamond Tiara, who was still glaring angrily at the top of her desk.

...

School let out later that day, and all of Cheerilee's students rushed out of the schoolhouse's open doors. Among them was Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who were on their way up the hill near the school to their clubhouse, on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres.

"Can I have a clue?" Sweetie Belle asked as she followed Scootaloo and Apple Bloom up the hill, the tall elm trees towering over them.  
>"Nope," Scootaloo said. "It's a surprise!"<br>"Come on!" Sweetie exclaimed. "Not even a hint?"  
>"Ya have t' wait and find out!" Apple Bloom said.<p>

They arrived at the clubhouse and headed up inside to find Scootaloo's scooter leaned against the wall, her helmet resting on its handles.  
>"Yeah, Mom came through!" Scootaloo said, beaming as she approached the scooter, when she saw a note taped to the handles. After Scootaloo removed the note and unfolded it, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle huddled around her as she started to read it aloud.<p>

"Scoots, I'll pick you up here as soon as I get off work. Have fun!" Then Scootaloo got to where Rainbow Dash signed it, and couldn't help but give a good-natured laugh.

"Look at this," she chuckled, pointing to where Rainbow originally signed with her initials, but crossed them out and wrote "Mom" next to them. "Guess she's still getting used to this whole thing, too." She took off her saddlebag and put the note inside, and started to wheel the scooter out of the clubhouse.

"If you guys get the wagon, we'll hook it up and go!"  
>"COOL!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cried out in unison. Even though Scootaloo often went way too fast for their comfort, they had missed the wagon rides she gave them during their many attempts to try new things and get cutie marks.<br>As Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pulled the wagon down the clubhouse's ramp together, Scootaloo wheeled her scooter out onto the grass and buckled her helmet on. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle fastened the wagon's handle onto the back of Scootaloo's scooter, and eagerly sat in its bed.

"We're ready when you are!"  
>Scootaloo replied with a smirk as she mounted her scooter, grabbed the handlebars, and placed a hoof on the ground to kick herself off. She then started to flap her tiny wings to gain momentum. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a knowing look and held onto the sides of the wagon, and as soon as Scootaloo kicked off the ground with her hoof, they took off.<p>

While she was moving at a slower speed than usual due to the weight of pulling Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle in the wagon, Scootaloo still went at a high speed as she skillfully maneuvered around trees and rocks, darting through the forest and into Sweet Apple Acres. Scootaloo had missed riding her scooter for such a long time, and couldn't help but grin widely as she felt the air rush past her face.

"Hey Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle said, "Have you thought about what you want for your birthday?"  
>Scootaloo came to a stop and looked back at Sweetie. "Birthday?"<br>"Yeah!" Apple Bloom said. "Don'tcha know when your own birthday is? It's this Friday!"

"Oh... it is!" Scootaloo said, surprised. On past years she had eagerly anticipated her birthday months in advance, but the recent events in her life had pushed it completely from her mind. "I... must have forgot. But you guys don't have to get me anything."  
>"But of course we do!" Sweetie Belle said. "You're our best friend!"<br>"We HAVE to get you somethin' cool!" Apple Bloom added.  
>"Thanks, guys," Scootaloo said, trying to hide her unease. "But I'll be fine, honest." She flapped her wings and kicked off, resuming their ride.<p>

"I know it won't be near as much fun this year," Apple Bloom said, taking Scootaloo off guard. "But we'll do whatever we can to make it easier on ya."  
>Scootaloo weakly smiled. "Thanks," she said, her voice sounding distant. Her 12th birthday was just a few days away... and her birth parents wouldn't be there to celebrate it with her.<p>

Even though she would be with Rainbow Dash as well as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, as well as many of her other friends... she wouldn't get to see the happy, proud faces of Sunset and Raindrop as they woke her up and brought her downstairs to a freshly-baked cake. Tears came to Scootaloo's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away with the back of her forehoof and focused on piloting the scooter.

"Scootaloo, you want me to ride the scooter?" Apple Bloom offered, having been taught how to ride by Scootaloo herself over the last summer. "You look like you need to sit down..."  
>"Nah, I'll be okay," Scootaloo said, trying to remain strong. "Thanks, though."<p>

The Crusaders soon arrived at Ponyville, and the air was filled with the aroma of freshly baked sweets, undoubtedly coming from Sugarcube Corner. The smell of fresh cupcakes and cake made Scootaloo's stomach rumble, and she smiled. "Mmmm, I smell cupcakes! Wanna stop there after the surprise?"  
>"I'm up for it!" Apple Bloom said. "How 'bout you, Sweetie Belle?"<br>"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle replied. "But... NOW can I have a clue?"

"No!" Scootaloo exclaimed, amused by Sweetie Belle's persistence. "You'll see soon enough..." But as she looked around at Ponyville's numerous and eclectic houses and buildings, their residents and workers going about their business, a thought hit her:

She didn't actually know where Vinyl Scratch lived.

"UGH!" Scootaloo groaned as she stopped in the middle of the road, smacking her hoof to her face. "Why didn't I think of this sooner?"  
>"Think of what?" Sweetie Belle asked.<br>"Where Vin- uh, I mean, the surprise lives-er, is!" Scootaloo said.  
>Sweetie Belle slowly got a smile on her face. "'Lives'? The surprise must be a pony! Am I right?"<br>"Yeah, you're right," Scootaloo admitted. "But we gotta find her first!"

Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her chin and thought. "Hmm, so the surprise is a pony and a girl... who could it be?" Just then, a thought came to her head and she smiled. "Oh, I forgot to tell you guys! DJ PON-3 moved to town! Isn't that amazing!"

Apple Bloom looked surprised at first, but then started to laugh. But Scootaloo's face went completely blank for a few moments before contorting into an annoyed frown.

"SWEETIE BELLE!" the frustrated pegasus exclaimed, earning her baffled looks from the townsponies.  
>"What?" Sweetie said with a shrug. "I met her when she came to Rarity's to fix a scratch in her sunglasses!" She then started to giggle. "Her name's Vinyl Scratch, so you could say that Scratch... got a scratch!"<br>"That was the whole surprise!" Scootaloo said, spreading her forelegs out to her sides as she stood on her hind legs. "I knew you were a big fan and thought it'd be cool to surprise you!" She then sighed. "So, you met her?"

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle said happily. "I even visited her house. She's really nice, even if she does drink that funny stuff that my Dad used to drink before Mom made him quit."  
>"So you know where she lives, right?" Apple Bloom asked.<br>"Sure do! I'll give you directions."

Scootaloo continued to pull Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle through Ponyville as Sweetie gave directions. "Okay, turn left here... now go straight... go right here... Oh wait, I meant left!... now go straight again... and here we are!"

They arrived at a small house sitting on a hill on the edge of town, and even from the foot of the hill, they could hear loud techno-rock music coming from inside. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were full of excitement as Sweetie Belle led them up to the front door, and all three of them knocked.

"JUST A SEC!" a scratchy voice yelled from inside - it was even scratchier than Rainbow Dash's, Scootaloo thought - and the door opened, revealing a unicorn mare with a cream-colored coat, wild, a wild, electric blue mane, and a pair of purple-tinted sunglasses covering her eyes. At first she looked annoyed, but smiled when she saw who it was. "Oh, hey Sweetie Belle!"  
>"Hey Vinyl!" Sweetie said. She motioned to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, who both looked up at Vinyl Scratch with wide, excited eyes. "These are my friends I was telling you about! This is Scootaloo, and this is Apple Bloom!"<br>"I'm a big fan of your music, DJ PON-3!" Scootaloo exclaimed.  
>"I... don't think I've ever listened t' your music, but ya seem really cool!" Apple Bloom said.<p>

"Heh, thanks," Vinyl Scratch said with a chuckle. "And please, just call me Vinyl. You can come in if you life, but I warn ya, it's a bit of a me-" she stopped when she noticed what was at the foot of the hill. "Is that a Red Winger Wagon?"  
>"Eeyup!" Apple Bloom said proudly. "Used to be mah sister's , but then she gave it t' me!"<p>

Vinyl Scratch ran down the hill to the wagon, and a big smile came to her muzzle. "I used to have one of these babies when I was a filly! My bro used to pull me around on it all the time! He'd take me so fast..." she said, beaming with nostalgia.  
>"Oh, really?" Scootaloo said, smirking. "Bet he didn't go as fast as I can!"<br>Vinyl smiled, accepting her challenge. "Take me for a ride, then, and we'll see. Plus, it'll be fun!"  
>"Then hop aboard," Scootaloo said, motioning back to the wagon. She put her helmet back on as Vinyl got in the wagon's bed with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, when Vinyl frowned.<p>

"Can you pull this much, Scootaloo?" the older unicorn asked.  
>"I've done it before no problem," Scootaloo said. "Have ya met Pinkie Pie yet?"<br>"That crazy pink pony who came to my door with a welcome wagon, covered me in confetti, and tried to kill me by shooting an alligator out of a cannon?"  
>Scootaloo laughed. "Yeah, that's Pinkie. I pulled her before, so you shouldn't be any different." She started to flap her wings and set a hoof on the ground.<p>

"Okay... you ready?"  
>"Go for it!" Vinyl Scratch said. "Mush!"<br>Scootaloo just smiled confidently as she took off, going as fast as she safely could. They sped through Ponyville like a rocket, causing gasps and head-turns the whole time, towards Sugarcube Corner.

"Okay, you beat my brother!" Vinyl Scratch shouted with a grin, raising her voice so the others could hear her over the wind rushing past them. "He never went half this fast! I gotta say, you're somethin' else!"  
>"Thanks!" Scootaloo shouted back, and slowed down. "We're gonna go to Sugarcube Corner to get some cupcakes, you want one?"<br>"There are two things in life I'll never turn down," Vinyl said. "Beer and cupcakes. Of course I want one!" She sat back, enjoying the ride with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "So Sweetie here tells me you all have a club or something like that..."  
>"Yep," Apple Bloom said. "We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"<br>"Cutie Mark Crusaders, huh?" Vinyl said. "That's pretty catchy. Hey... it could make for a hit rock ballad!" She then started to sing in the style of an over-the-top rock song. "YEAH! Uh-huh, YEAH! WE ARE! The CUTIE MAAAAAARK! CRUSAAAADERS! YEEEEEEAH!" she finished, bobbing her head with a hoof raised in the air.

All three Cutie Mark Crusaders laughed heartily. "Actually, we DID do something like that," Scootaloo said.  
>"It was bad..." Sweetie Belle added, frowning as memories of collapsing stage equipment and Scootaloo's bad singing flowed through her head. "REALLY bad."<p>

"Hey now, it couldn't have been THAT bad!" Vinyl Scratch said. "Can't be any worse than some of the crap I've produced for. You ever heard of Blood Donkey? I've heard dying bunny rabbits that sounded better! Yeesh."  
>"We've got a record of it at the clubhouse," Scootaloo said. "We'll have to show it to you."<p>

They arrived at Sugarcube Corner, and Scootaloo took off her helmet as Vinyl Scratch, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle climbed out of the wagon. "Okay guys, it'll be my treat," Vinyl said.  
>"You sure?" Sweetie Belle asked. "We've got bits.."<br>"Hey, you're a bunch of kids! I'm a rich, famous DJ!" Vinyl laughed. "I'd never forgive myself if I let you pay! C'mon, let's go in."

...

Later that day, Rainbow Dash flew to her front porch, having been let off early because of clear skies. All she could think about was taking Scootaloo and helping her learn how to fly, and her excitement came through in her smile.

Rainbow landed on the cloud island her house was on and opened the mailbox, getting the mail before going inside to grab Scootaloo's trainer suit, and she started to shuffle through the mail.

"Bill... bill... junk... junk... huh?"

She froze in place as she revealed a blue envelope bearing a seal that depicted a lightening bolt with wings: the logo of the Wonderbolts. And right above the seal was print that read "Congratulations!"

For most of her adult life, Rainbow Dash had frequently sent in requests to join the Wonderbolts, but had always been turned down for one reason or another. But this time... it looked as if she had finally been accepted!  
>Her pounded, nearly beating out of her chest, as she opened the envelope, unfolded the letter inside, and started to read:<p>

Dear Ms. Dash,

Congratulations! As the result of much thought on the matter, you have been selected to join the Wonderbolts.

As a Wonderbolt, you will experience excitement and adventure as you perform in gravity-defying air shows, attend the hottest parties in all of Equestria, and rise to the occasion when we are called to help Equestria's citizens.

Your official uniform will be arriving separately very soon, and your initiation is scheduled to take place at 9:00 AM this Friday at the Wonderbolts Headquarters in Canterlot. We can't wait to see you!

As Rainbow Dash read the end of the letter, which included a signature by each member of the Wonderbolts, a huge smile spread across her face and her eyes started to water up. Her lifelong dream... the dream she had since attending her first Wonderbolts show with her mother at the age of 3... the dream she had spent most of her life working towards... was finally going to come true.

"I'm gonna... be... a Wonderbolt?" Rainbow asked herself, and she couldn't help but make a girlish squeal of sheer joy as she rushed into the house. But as soon as she walked through the door, Rainbow stopped in her tracks and her enthusiasm faded.

"...what about Scoots?"

Up until this point, Rainbow Dash had been confident that she would be able to take care of Scootaloo even if she did become a Wonderbolt. After all, Spitfire was a mother of four children. But after spending a few more days with Scootaloo under her roof, and getting to know the filly better... Rainbow wasn't sure if she had it in her to leave Scootaloo for the long stretches of time that being a Wonderbolt would inevitably require from her.

But as Rainbow walked into Scootaloo's bedroom to get the trainer suit and saw the Wonderbolts posters on the walls, she remembered that Scootaloo was just as big a fan of them as she was, and would surely love having a Wonderbolt for a mother.

But despite her conflict, Rainbow Dash couldn't help herself as the excitement of her dream finally coming true overtook her. "Wait 'till I tell Scootaloo!"


	8. Learning to Fly

"...They all say that you'll get your mark, when the time is really right, and you know just what you're supposed to do, and your talent comes to light! But it's not as easy as it sounds, and that waiting's hard to do..."

Scootaloo cringed with embarrassment as she sat in the clubhouse with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Vinyl Scratch, all gathered around a record player. "I can't take anymore!" she exclaimed, taking the needle off of the spinning vinyl. "Did I really sound THAT bad?"  
>"You think YOU were bad?" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "At least we don't have it on video - mah dancin' was the pits!"<p>

"Hey, it's still better than that Blood Donkey crap," Vinyl Scratch laughed. "But yeah... this was pretty bad."  
>"It was so bad, we won the award for Best Comedy because they all laughed at us!" Sweetie Belle said. "Though I guess it was pretty funny..."<p>

"Shame I wasn't in town," Vinyl Scratch said. "I could have given y'all some pointers."

As Sweetie Belle looked at the musical note cutie mark on Vinyl's flank, she grew curious. "Hey Vinyl, how did YOU earn your cutie mark?"  
>"I used to make my own music," Vinyl said, looking down at her cutie mark with a sense of pride. "You ever played on a Technotron system?"<br>"Techno-what, now?" Scootaloo asked.  
>"Okay, it was probably a little before your time," Vinyl said, having briefly forgotten she was talking to a trio of foals. "Like 10 years before your time. Anyway, I was really fascinated with the music in those games - it was like these beeping sounds - and wanted to make my own, so my mom got me a keyboard that let me make music. I spent HOURS on that thing, making new tunes, remixing tunes I already made, making versions of tunes I heard on the radio... I just really loved music! So one day I'm putting together this really cool suite that went on for like 30 minutes-"<p>

"What?" all three Crusaders exclaimed.  
>"Believe it!" Vinyl said with a grin. "So I was making my 30 minute long music suite, and when I finished I noticed my flank felt funny. I looked down, and BAM! Musical note!" she exclaimed, smacking her forehooves together. "So yeah, I just stuck with something I really love doing, and was really good at, and got this baby."<p>

Scootaloo sighed. "That's what they all say..."  
>"Hey, keep your heads up!" Vinyl Scratch said with a gentle smile. "Wanna know how old my mom was when she got hers? 25!"<br>"25!"

"Aw, crap..." Vinyl said, frowning, "I didn't really help, did I? I'm sorry."  
>"Don't worry, it's okay!" Apple Bloom said. "We aren't sore with ya!"<br>"Yeah!" Scootaloo said.  
>"Me too!" Sweetie Belle added.<p>

Vinyl Scratch smiled at them, when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Hey Scoots, I'm here!" an excited-sounding, scratchy voice called.  
>"Mom's here!" Scootaloo exclaimed excitedly. She rushed to the door as Rainbow Dash opened it and hovered in, and they immediately grabbed each other in a hug.<p>

"Hey!" Vinyl Scratch said with a grin, "I didn't know you two were related!"  
>"Oh, hey Vinyl Scratch!" Rainbow Dash said, surprised at the sight of a famed celebrity hanging out with children. "Actually, I'm her adoptive mother... her mom and dad died, and I took her in."<br>Vinyl Scratch's smile turned into a frown. "Oh... I'm sorry, Scootaloo. I didn't know..."

"It's okay," Scootaloo said, before looking up at Rainbow Dash with a proud smile. "It hasn't been easy, but Mom's really helped me out."  
>Rainbow smiled, giving her an affectionate noogie. She briefly considered revealing her acceptance into the Wonderbolts to everypony there, but quickly decided to make it just between herself and Scootaloo. "So... how 'bout that flying lesson? You ready?"<br>"You bet your flank I'm ready!" Scootaloo exclaimed, hopping up in the air and using her wings to briefly hover.  
>"Then let's go," Rainbow said. "Bye, guys!"<br>"Yeah, goodbye!" Scootaloo said, "And thanks for the cupcakes, Vinyl!"

"Hey, no sweat," Vinyl Scratch said with a shrug. "Don't go crashing into a mountain, you hear?"  
>"I won't," Scootaloo laughed. "See you all later."<p>

After bidding Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Vinyl Scratch goodbye, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo headed out of the clubhouse, and Rainbow pointed to Scootaloo's trainer suit sitting on the railing. "Just slip that baby on, and we'll be good to go."

Scootaloo wasted no time grabbing the trainer and putting it on, fitting her wings into the sock-like appendages and her forelegs through the sleeves on the bottom. "Where we going, Mom?" she asked.  
>"Someplace really, really cool," Rainbow Dash answered. "Someplace you can see your mountain from."<br>"Where is it?" Scootaloo asked, ever curious as she climbed onto Rainbow's back. "Is it far away?"

"Yep," Rainbow Dash said. "It's pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, so if you do something really goofy, nopony but me will see it and you won't become a laughing stock. But I think you'll do just fine."  
>"What are we waiting for!" Scootaloo asked eagerly as she held onto Rainbow's shoulders, "Let's go!"<p>

Rainbow Dash gave her a salute before taking flight, speeding away from the clubhouse and into the sky. She started to head North away from Ponyville, but also flew up progressively higher. Then she came to a stop, hovering hundreds of feet above the ground.

"Huh?" Scootaloo asked, "Why'd we stop?"  
>"Because I've got a big surprise for ya," Rainbow Dash said, grinning. "I just got accepted into the Wonderbolts."<p>

Scootaloo stared at her with wide eyes, unsure of what to say or even what to think. "...really?" she managed.  
>"Yup," Rainbow said. "BUT... I want to know if you're cool with it first."<br>"Of course I'm cool with it!" Scootaloo exclaimed, smiling. "It's your dream! I mean, I'd really miss you when you went on tours, but... I'd be fine. Don't worry about me." However, her smile had turned into a small frown.  
>"You sure?" Rainbow asked.<br>"Yeah," Scootaloo said. "Besides, if anypony deserves to be a Wonderbolt, it's you!"

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash said, although her enthusiasm was somewhat hollow. "My uniform will be arriving soon, and our first meeting is first thing on Friday."

"Friday?" Scootaloo said, startled. "This Friday?"  
>"Yeah," Rainbow said. "I go there at 9 in the morning, and it'll probably be an all-day affair from what I've read about the Wonderbolts. All sorts of tours and paperwork and all that happy stuff... why do you ask? Is this Friday special or something?"<p>

Scootaloo frowned - that Friday was her 12th birthday, and Rainbow Dash didn't seem to know. She could have told Rainbow this... but she also didn't want Rainbow to miss her initiation.

"No... I'm just curious," Scootaloo lied, and she put on a smile. "I can't wait to see you in your uniform!"  
>"I can't wait to wear my uniform," Rainbow said, a confident smirk on her muzzle, but then she took on a stern demeanor. "But listen: If you don't want me to do it, I'll pull the plug ASAP."<br>"You would?"  
>"In a heartbeat," Rainbow said. "Being a Wonderbolt may be my lifelong dream, but... well, you come first now."<p>

Scootaloo briefly considered going back on her lie and telling Rainbow the truth, but decided against it. After all Rainbow had done for her, she wanted her to be rewarded. "Thanks, but I'll be okay! I swear!"  
>"Alright, then," Rainbow said with a motherly smile. "But remember, just say the word and I'll tell 'em to find somepony else."<p>

Rainbow Dash could not have been more conflicted at that moment. Her lifelong dream was finally going to come true, and she was going to be known the world over with billions of adoring fans. But at the same time, she had also pledged her loyalty to the filly who would always be her number one fan, and the last thing she wanted to do was make her adopted daughter feel neglected.

But as she started to fly again, Rainbow felt Scootaloo's grip on her change to a hug.  
>"I'm so proud of you, Mom," Scootaloo said, clinging tightly to her and with a warm and loving smile on her face.<br>As she looked at Scootaloo's adoring face and into her enormous purple eyes, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile bashfully and blush. "Thanks, Scootaloo... but you can't be HALF as proud as I will about an hour from now! Let's get you airborne!"

...

After around thirty minutes of flying over the beautiful rolling plains, forests rich with the fall colors, and towering mountains of Equestria, Rainbow Dash came to a stop over a small mountain. "What's that?" Scootaloo asked as she looked down at the mountain, which looked as if it had a large crater in it.  
>"That's Mount Equine," Rainbow Dash explained. "It used to be a lot taller, and it even had a village next to it. But one day, everypony found out the hard way that Mount Equine was actually a dormant volcano."<br>"Oh..." Scootaloo said, disturbed by the mountain's morbid history. "Really?"  
>"Yeah," Rainbow said. "The villagers mostly got out... mostly. But enough of that, let's do what we came here for."<p>

Rainbow Dash flew down to the highest point on Mount Equine, which was wide enough to have enough room for both herself and Scootaloo to stand. Scootaloo hopped off of her back onto the mountaintop's dusty dirt, and looked around. While she had enjoyed nothing but incredible views on the way there, something about actually standing on a mountaintop and looking off into the distance made it feel even more special for her. But she looked and looked, but still didn't see the mountain in the Uncharted Land.

"Hey Mom?" Scootaloo asked, "Where's that mountain?"

"Oh, it's just over those peaks over there," Rainbow said, pointing to a trio of particularly tall mountain peaks to the north. "We were flying high, but not high enough to see over those peaks. But we will soon enough... but first, let's see if you can get off the ground."

"Actually, I already can, for a few seconds anyway," Scootaloo said. "Sometimes I like to hop in the air and use my wings to give me a boost."  
>"Good!" Rainbow said. "That's great practice. But now that you've got the trainer on, let's see how ya do."<p>

Scootaloo got into position and started to flap her wings, just as she had seemingly countless times before. Ever since she was very young, Scootaloo had longed to learn how to fly, but her wings simply weren't strong enough to lift her body for long periods of time. But Scootaloo was growing into her very early teens, and her wings were becoming stronger every day... but she still didn't quite know how to use them.

"Now remember, just flapping 'em isn't gonna work," Rainbow Dash coached. "You gotta use a sort of... I dunno, circulatory motion. Like this!" She started to slowly flap her wings so that Scootaloo could see what it took, and she was noticeably slightly rotating them with each flap. "Do that and you'll sort of climb through the air! Try it."

Scootaloo closed her eyes and did as she had just seen... and after a few moments, she heard Rainbow Dash cheering and realized that her hooves weren't on the ground anymore! She opened her eyes and saw that she had actually hovered a few feet in the air, just a head above Rainbow Dash! After years and years of trying and failing, she was finally in the air.

"I did it..." Scootaloo said, a huge smile spreading across her face, "I DID IT!"  
>"You sure did!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Now land and try it again. Scootaloo did as told, but kept her eyes open this time... and sure enough, she lifted off the ground again.<p>

"Well, you can lift yourself in the air," Rainbow Dash said. "But can you stay in the one position up there? I want you to lift yourself up, but stop and move your wings like this." She started to flap her own wings again, but this time she rotated them in a slightly different manner. "Go on, try it."

Scootaloo lifted herself up in the air again, and tried to flap her wings like Rainbow had shown her... but instead, she fell. Scootaloo flapped her wings frantically and tried to remain in the air, but cringed as she prepared to land in the dirt... but instead, she landed in the forelegs of Rainbow Dash.

"It's okay!" Rainbow said, smiling. "You aren't gonna hit every note your first time. Now try it again."

Rainbow Dash put Scootaloo down, who lifted herself up again, stopped, and rotated her wings. Scootaloo's eyes were closed yet again as she waited anxiously for the result... but heard more cheering from Rainbow. She opened her eyes, and saw that she was hovering in place in the air!

"HAY YEAH SCOOTS!" Rainbow Dash yelled, pumping a forehoof in the air. Now... you ready to really have some fun?"  
>"You bet!" Scootaloo said, smiling with confidence, high off the fact that she was actually in the air.<br>"Okay," Rainbow said with a smile, "I'll give you something a little more challenging. You've got takeoff and hovering down pat... now you just have to actually propel yourself forward and backwards. I actually thought this was the easiest part, but who knows. While you're up there, try moving your wings like this." She started to slowly flap her own wings again, this time moving them in a forward motion. "Give it a shot."

Scootaloo started to flap her wings the same way Rainbow Dash did, and at first she started to fall... but quickly moved forward in the air!  
>"WHOO!" Rainbow exclaimed, beaming with pride. "You're really gettin' it! Now, try going a little faster. You don't wanna fly like an old lady, do ya?"<br>Scootaloo laughed. "Not really."

Flapping her wings in a faster manner, Scootaloo darted away from Rainbow Dash and the peak of Mount Equine. The wind was blowing against her face and the trees and mountains were becoming progressively blurrier, which only filled her with the desire to go even faster. But no matter how hard she flapped her wings, she found that she wasn't going any faster. Realizing that this was as fast as she was going to go, Scootaloo was disappointed for a brief moment before quickly forgetting it - the fact that she was flying at all delighted her to no end.

Rainbow Dash - who was laughing with sheer joy - flew up to her and extended her hoof for a hoof bump. Scootaloo stopped and hovered in place, remembering the technique Rainbow had just taught her - while she dropped for a second, she quickly started hovering and returned Rainbow's hoof bump.

"You were so awesome"! Rainbow exclaimed.  
>"Thanks! But I wasn't that fast..."<br>"So?" Rainbow asked. "You were still pretty darn speedy."  
>"Not as fast as you, though," Scootaloo said, giving Rainbow a smile of admiration.<p>

"Well, I don't even think that's possible," Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her chin with her hoof. "But you were still pretty darn fast, especially for your first time. You're also a really smooth flyer!"  
>"I am?" Scootaloo asked.<br>"Yep," Rainbow said with a nod. "Some Pegasi bob and weave, and are really shaky. Heck, I was like that for a while. But you're really graceful so far. If you improve a little and ditch the trainer... who knows. Now you wanna get adventurous?"  
>"You think?" Scootaloo said, smiling.<p>

"Okay, then," Rainbow Dash said. "Just fly over and grab onto my back." Scootaloo did as told, and Rainbow flew straight up into the air and towards the clear, blue sky. As they went straight up, Scootaloo glanced downwards, and saw that they were now miles above the ground - it scared her, but it also filled her with excitement. She had never been this high up before.

Finally, Rainbow Dash stopped and started to hover in the air. "Okay, Scoots... look around. Now you can REALLY see your mountain!"

Scootaloo looked out over the seemingly endless horizon, into the Uncharted Land... and saw it: A towering, snow-capped monster of a mountain, jutting up over the rest of the already steep terrain. "Wow..." she mouthed, amazed at the sight. Her attention soon turned to the rest of the Uncharted Land, which was a hilly sea of trees, some of them looking to be hundreds upon hundreds of feet tall. And in the distance, there appeared to be a city. "Hey, what's that over there?"  
>"I think that's the Troll city," Rainbow said, giving her best guess. "It's pretty amazing, huh?"<br>"It sure is," Scootaloo said, smiling from ear to ear. Even though a resident of the Uncharted Land had killed her parents, which she felt should have tainted it for her... it was the most beautiful landscape she had ever seen.

"You had enough?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I'm getting a little chilly up here."  
>"Yeah," Scootaloo said, but an idea came to her head and she smiled.<br>"Hey, Mom? What if I dove off of your back and launched into flight?"  
>Rainbow Dash frowned. "I dunno, Scoots."<br>"You could catch me if I fell, right?" Scootaloo asked, determined. "Let's just give it a shot."  
>"Okay," Rainbow said reluctantly. "I'll be right behind you if you fall."<p>

Scootaloo let go of Rainbow Dash's shoulders, and carefully stood up on her back and looked down. They were miles and miles above the ground, and once large landmarks were now specks down below. Gathering up all of her courage, Scootaloo jumped off of Rainbow's back and started to free-fall, holding her limbs close to her body so she would be like a streamlined rocket falling through the sky. The rush of wind hitting her face and the sight of the ground getting closer and closer made Scootaloo feel more powerful than ever.

Finally, she spread her wings and moved them in the motion Rainbow Dash had taught her to fly straight... and not only started to fly, but climbed up into the air! Rainbow Dash followed her, laughing with joy all the while as Scootaloo soared through the air with agility and grace.

For both of them, it was the proudest moment of their lives.

"Okay, let's go down!" Rainbow Dash yelled so that Scootaloo could hear her, "Time for the hard part!"  
>"The hard part?" Scootaloo asked.<br>"Yep! Landing! I've crashed at least a hundred times. Just try to slow yourself down, and prepare your feet to land on the ground! Trust me, it sounds easier than it actually is! But you're really smooth... we'll see how ya do."

Scootaloo followed Rainbow Dash back down to Mount Equine, and Rainbow landed on the peak. She stood on her hind legs and spread out her forelegs, acting as a target of sorts.

"Okay, aim for me!" Rainbow yelled, "I'll catch you if you screw up!"

Scootaloo tried to clear her mind and focus on nothing but the ground in front of Rainbow Dash. Running Rainbow's instructions through her head, she tried her best to slow her approach, and spread her legs out to land on the ground... but as soon as Scootaloo touched the ground, she launched into a tumble. She bounced towards Rainbow, who caught her... but she had been going so fast that the impact knocked Rainbow on the ground. Scootaloo groaned and shook her head... but Rainbow laughed and grabbed her in a hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Squirt!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, holding Scootaloo tight, "You did it! You did it!"  
>"Flying, yes," Scootaloo said, unable to keep the smile off her face. "Landing, no. But... I DID DO IT, MOM! I FLEW!" She wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow's neck, hugging her. "Thank you, Mom! Thank you thank you thank you!"<p>

"Don't sweat it," Rainbow said. "Somewhere, your Mom and Dad are just as proud of you as I am."

Scootaloo smiled at her comment, and felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Come on... let's go home. I'll race ya!"  
>"Oh, so now we're competitors?" Rainbow said with a smirk. "Okay, you're on!"<p>

...

"Darn it," Scootaloo said, out of breath as they landed on her porch, "I've got a ways to go, huh?"  
>"Rainbow Dash gave her a good-natured snort. "Yeah... but you gotta remember, I'm the fastest there is. I can't think of ANYPONY who could beat me. It's kind of like taking up mountain climbing, and starting with that mountain in the Uncharted Land."<p>

"So what are you saying?" Scootaloo laughed. "I should start by racing Derpy?"  
>"Oh, I wouldn't go THAT far!" Rainbow laughed back. "But seriously, you've got some talent already. And it wasn't just the trainer. That dive was raw talent, right there."<p>

Scootaloo smiled proudly as they walked into the house, when Rainbow Dash headed into the kitchen. "I don't know about you, but I could use a freakin' drink." She opened the refrigerator and started to rummage around, flipping past a milk carton and bottles of water, in search of energy drinks. But even after looking behind everything in the refrigerator, she couldn't find any.

"Aw crap, we're out of drinks," Rainbow said as she headed to the front door. "I'm gonna go get some - you wanna come?"  
>"Nah," Scootaloo said as she lounged on the couch, "I'm pretty beat."<br>"Okay," Rainbow said. "You need anything while I'm out?"  
>"Nope," Scootaloo answered. "Thanks, though."<p>

"Okay then," Rainbow Dash said. "I'll be right back." She walked out the door and closed it behind her, leaving Scootaloo alone in the house. As Scootaloo reflected on the day's events, she smiled and couldn't help but squeal with delight - she had finally learned how to fly!

"Oh man, wait 'till I tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo said to herself, feeling like bouncing off of the walls with excitement. "I'll be able to do tricks with Mom, I'll be able to do cool stuff on my scooter, I'l-"

Scootaloo was cut off when she heard a knock on the door. "Coming!" she called and started to walk across the room to the door, wondering who it was. "Mom probably forgot her Bits," Scootaloo chuckled to herself. But when she opened the door, she was met with the sight of a tall, well-groomed stallion with a dark grey coat, a slicked-back black mane, a black pinstripe suit, and piercing red eyes.

Her heart froze as she realized that it was Clyde Persano.

Scootaloo quickly slammed the door and started to lock it, but Persano just pushed it open with his unicorn magic. "Hello, Miss Scootaloo," he said, turning on the oily charm, "Long time, no see!" As he used his magic to pull a cigar out of his suit, light it, and put it in his mouth, Scootaloo only stared at him hatefully.

"What do you want? Get out of my house!"  
>Persano chuckled and held his hoof to his heart, putting on a fake frown. "Oh, I am hurt, little girl! I really am! And just when I was about to make you an offer."<br>"Whatever it is, I'm not interested," Scootaloo spat. "Just leave me alone!"

"Just let me speak," Persano said, started to get annoyed. "I heard about your mommy and daddy dying, and it really tore me up." His thin lips curled into a sick smile as he added, "Couldn't have happened to nicer people."

Scootaloo hated him. She really, really hated him.

"So I figured you must be really hurt over their deaths," Persano continued, taking a puff of his cigar and contaminating the cloud house with the stench of cigar smoke. "Well, how 'bout you come with me, and I'll make all that pain go away?" He used his magic to reach into his pocket and pull out a small, green pill. "I've got a little pill here that'll make all your worries go away!"

Scootaloo simply glared at Persano. "If you seriously think I'm gonna take that pill because you said so... you've got another thing comin'."  
>"But Scootaloo!" Persano exclaimed, smiling even wider. "It's really goo-"<p>

"NO!"

Persano stood back, surprised by Scootaloo's temper. She was a feisty one... just what he wanted. "Okay, so... I can see I'm wasting my breath here." He slipped the pill back in his pocket. "I guess I wouldn't make a very good door-to-door salespony, huh? I knew I shouldn't have listened to my Ma..." He walked to the front door, looking dejected... when Scootaloo suddenly felt something grabbing her by the throat. She looked at Persano and saw a small smirk on his face as his horn glowed red, and she soon felt herself being lifted off the floor and pulled to him.

"I tried to make this easy, Scootaloo, I really did," Persano said. "But I never lose, ever! You're coming with me." He used his magic to hold her in front of him so he could see the fear in her face. As Scootaloo squirmed to get out of his grip, Persano smiled sadistically, clearly enjoying the pain he was putting her through.

"When my Mom gets here," Scootaloo said, full of spite, "She's gonna kick your butt!"  
>Persano chuckled. "I've got a machine gun out in the carriage. How tough will your mom be when she's lying on the ground, full of hot lead?" he yelled, his sadistic smirk growning even wider. "HUH?"<p>

Scootaloo didn't respond. Instead, she gathered up all of the spittle she had in her mouth, and spit it in Persano's face.

"GAH!" Persano yelled, his cocky demeanor shattered as he used the back of his foreleg to wipe the spit off of his face. He was distracted... and Scootaloo used this opportunity to kick him in the face with her back legs. As Persano groaned in pain and anger and held where Scootaloo kicked him, he lost his magic grip and sent her falling to the ground. Scootaloo was fully ready to buck him in the stomach with her hind legs, when the door suddenly swung open, and Persano was knocked to his side by a rainbow-colored blur.

"What the-!" Persano yelled, not knowing what hit him. He soon got his answer when a cyan pegasus mare with a rainbow colored mane pinned him to the ground, looking down at him with fury in her rose-colored eyes.

"WHO THE BUCK DO YOU THINK YO-" Persano started, but was sharply interrupted when Rainbow Dash slammed a forehoof into his face, making him gasp with pain. Then she repeatedly delivered more sharp punches right to his muzzle, damaging his nose and causing blood to trickle out of his nostrils as he gasped in pain.

"YEAH MOM!" Scootaloo cheered, overjoyed to see the pony she loathed so intensely being beaten to a pulp by the pony she loved more than anything else in the world. "KICK HIS ASS!"

By the fifteenth punch, Rainbow Dash stopped and held him by his neck, nearly choking him.

"Listen to me," Rainbow said, and Scootaloo raised an eyebrow - she had never heard Rainbow sound like that, ever. "If you as much as come close to her ever again, I promise you, I'll kill you deader than a doornail."  
>Persano laughed, despite the pain he was in from having his face hammered in just seconds prior. "Do you know who I am?"<br>"Shut up!" Rainbow yelled, smacking him in the face yet again with her hoof. "Unless you want to spend the rest of your life eating through a tube, you'd better get your rotten ass out of here and never come back. EVER."  
>"I'd watch the threats, sister," Persano said. "I've got powerful friends."<p>

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash said. "I do, too. Princess Celestia, to be exact. And Luna, too."

Even though he was trying not to show it, Persano was obviously frightened by this connection. His legal team never failed to get him out of cases ranging from racketeering to even murder. But if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, powerful alicorns who raised the sun and moon on a daily basis, set their sights on him...

"I'm friends with Celestia's personal student," Rainbow continued, "and I even write to Celestia every once in a while. And I promise you, I will tell the Princess exactly what you did today. So I really think you should get out of our house, get in your big, ugly carriage, and never come back here AGAIN!"

Persano laughed as he pushed Rainbow Dash aside and stood up, wiping the blood from his face with the back of his foreleg. "I've got better things to do than compare powerful friends with dumb Ponyville trash like you." Even though he was as cocky and smug as ever, he was noticeably in a hurry to get out of the house. But as he opened the front door, he looked back at Rainbow and Scootaloo and gave them another twisted smile.

"I'll just tell you girls one thing: You're awful lucky I just beat one murder rap, and really don't feel like going through another two."

And with that, he slammed the door and left. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo walked to the window and watched as his carriage took off, and then hugged.

"Are you okay, honey?" Rainbow said, "Did he hurt you?"  
>"He tried to get me to take this weird green pill," Scootaloo explained, "and then tried to take me with him after I said no."<br>"Scoots, listen to me," Rainbow said sternly, "Don't you ever open the front door again, unless you know for sure who's there."  
>"Trust me Mom, I won't," Scootaloo said, full of relief. "I did spit in his face and kick him, though. Oh Celestia, that felt good..."<p>

"I bet it did," Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle. "But I'm serious. Unless you know for sure who it is, don't open that door. Got it?"  
>"I said yes!" Scootaloo said. Rainbow Dash sighed, and then hugged her even more tightly.<br>"When I saw that big black carriage in front of the house, I was worried sick," Rainbow said. "I haven't been that scared since that Troll had you cornered in a log! Are you sure you're okay?"  
>"I'm fine," Scootaloo said. "A little freaked out, but fine."<p>

They hugged for few more moments, when Rainbow Dash said something that took Scootaloo by surprise.  
>"I'm sorry, Scoots."<br>"Why?" Scootaloo exclaimed. "You kicked his flank!"  
>"I know," Rainbow said. "But... he almost hurt you! I... let him almost hurt you... I promised I'd protect you from him, but I wasn't here..."<p>

"Mom, it's not your fault!" Scootaloo argued. "I answered the door! If anything, it was my fault! And besides, you saved my butt."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "I know, it's just that..."  
>"Mom," Scootaloo said, putting a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, "It's <em>okay.<em> You're an amazin' Mom. Heck, next to my other Mom, you're probably the best Mom in the world."  
>Rainbow smiled warmly. "Thanks, Squirt."<p>

"No prob," Scootaloo said. "Now I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Wanna get something to eat?"

...

Clyde Persano sat in the back of his carriage, nervously tapping his hoof on the side of the door, his whole face still hurting from being pummeled by Rainbow Dash. Every once in a while he shot a glance out the window to see if anypony was following him, but was always met by the sunset on the horizon. With an exhasperated sigh, he rolled down his window and stuck his head out.

"COME ON, YOU DUMB PEGASUS MORONS!" Persano yelled at the Pegasi pulling his carriage, "CAN'T YOU FRUITS GO ANY FASTER?"  
>"Sorry, Mr. Persano," one of them shouted back, "But we're not robots."<br>"Fine," Persano sighed as he rolled his window back up and slouched back in his leather chair. After taking another glance out the window and seeing nothing but sunset, he pressed a button next to the intercom in the carriage.

"Yes?" Fedora asked from the other end.  
>"Fedora, get the yacht ready," Persano said, I'm gonna be there tonight. Make sure you cast the invisibility spell on EVERYTHING... no, everything is fine... NO, I'm not on the run! ... No, I didn't get the kid, we'll just have to find some other brat... FEDORA, WHAT THE BUCK? ARE YOU PLAYING VIDEOGAMES?... Just bring my yacht and meet me near the border!" With a groan, he smashed the button, leaned back in his seat, and lit up his eighth cigar of the day.<p>

...

After eating dandelion sandwiches, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo went to bed, exhausted from the day's events. As Scootaloo sat in her bedroom and held onto her Rainbow Dash doll, her mind was thinking about many different subjects at once. Even though she had finally learned how to fly, the rest of the day's events kept her from feeling as ecstatic as she should have. While she was still shaken up by Clyde Persano's surprise visit, the main issue on her mind was Rainbow Dash joining the Wonderbolts. While Scootaloo was very happy for her and would love watching her adoptive mother perform, she also knew that this would mean less time for them to be together.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door, and scrambled to hide her Rainbow Dash doll under the bed before calling "Come in!" Rainbow Dash walked into the room, Tank by her side.

"Hey Mom," Scootaloo said, "What's up?"  
>"Scoots," Rainbow said, an awkward and somewhat embarrassed smile on her face, "This is gonna sound really weird... but is it cool if I sleep with you tonight?"<br>"Sure!" Scootaloo said, rolling over to give Rainbow Dash room on her bed. Rainbow climbed into the bed and under the covers, and Tank used his flying device to hover onto the bed and settle in at its foot.

"What's the problem?" Scootaloo asked, her voice gentle with concern. "Bad dreams?"  
>"No..." Rainbow Dash said, "I just wanna be sure you're safe."<br>Scootaloo smiled. "That's a-okay." She gave Rainbow a kiss. "'Night, Mom."  
>"'Night, Scoots," Rainbow said as she kissed Scootaloo back. "I love you."<br>"I love you too," Scootaloo smiled.

Rainbow Dash reached over to the lamp and turned out the light, before lying down and wrapping her forelegs around Scootaloo in a loving, protective embrace. And within moments, they dozed off.


	9. Crossing the Border

Princess Luna's shining full moon bathed Equestria in a faint glow as the Midnight Jewel flew over the silent forests and prairies, heading to the border. In a large room in the back of the yacht, Clyde Persano sat in the large, ornate leather chair at his marble desk, nervously smoking a cigar. His nose still hurt from being pounded repeatedly by a cyan hoof, but the possible consequences of that event bothered him far more greatly.

Just earlier that day, he had upset somepony who had a personal connection to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. And if the Princesses decided to go after him, he was done for.

Persano took a puff from his depleting cigar and swirled the smoke around in his mouth for a moment before exhaling to get a better taste of it. He exhaled some of it through his nose, and instantly regretted it as his damaged nostrils stung with pain. "Damn it!" he groaned, tossing aside the cigar's spent cap and opening the humidor on his desk for another. After lighting up the new cigar and levitating it into his mouth, Persano lied back in his chair, trying to relax despite his paranoia. Even though there had been no sight of the Princesses, or even any royal guards since they left Scootaloo's house, the thought of being in a situation he had no chance of wiggling out of terrified Persano to no end.

As Persano took another puff of his cigar, he heard a knock on the large oak door at the end of his room. "Come in," he said drolly. The door swung open, and Fedora stepped into the room, clearly nervous that he was entering Persano's personal quarters. His nose crinkled at the overwhelming odor of cigar smoke, but he tried to retain a calm composure.

"We're at the border, Mr. Persano," Fedora said. "The Invisibility and Silencing spells have been cast."  
>"Good," Persano said, standing up out of his chair and walking across the room to Fedora. "We better not buck this up. So, you heard anything from Blackcoat?"<br>"Yes, Mr. Persano," Fedora said. "He sent me a scroll saying that he'd already found another pegasus foal. Managed to grab her without anypony seeing her..."  
>"Is he on his way here?" Persano asked. "Before long, ponies will start lookin' for the litt-"<p>

Just then, a bright light flashed in the room, and a tall Unicorn stallion with a dark coat, an even darker mane, and light green eyes appeared right before Persano and Fedora. Slung over his back was a burlap sack.

"Blackcoat!" Persano said with a grin. "You got our friend?"  
>"Sure do," Blackcoat said in a startlingly deep voice. He used his magic to levitate the burlap sack off of his back and flip it upside down, and a small, yellow Pegasus filly with a light blue mane fell to the ground. Her body was completely motionless - clearly the result of a paralysis spell - but her blue eyes were darting around at the intimidating figures standing over her, full of fear. With a falsely reassuring smile, Persano bent down and looked the filly in the eyes.<p>

"Hey, honey," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Don't be scared, it's all gonna be okay. Sure, you'll never see your mommy and daddy again, but that's okay. They can always spit out another little girl. Why, in the long run, it'll be like you never existed."

A lone tear rolled out of the side of the filly's eye, dropping onto the floor.

"Oh, stiffen that upper lip, girl!" Persano said. "Just think: You're gonna be part of the future of Equestria? Isn't that exciting?"

The filly couldn't respond. All she could do was look up into the sinister unicorn's red eyes, her own eyes filled with tears.

"I take your silence as a yes," Persano said, standing back up. "Chuck 'er in the cargo hold, Blackcoat. Fedora, you're with me."

As Blackcoat put the filly back in the burlap sack, Persano and Fedora walked out of the room and out onto the yacht's deck. Persano was satisfied with Blackcoat's work... sure, the filly wasn't the one he wanted, but at least he had a foal. He briefly regretted his preference of getting his hooves dirty and not letting Blackcoat deal with Scootaloo, but quickly brushed any negative thoughts from his mind as he walked with Fedora to the bow of the Midnight Jewel, where several unicorns in suits stood at attention. The yacht was clearly visible even in the night's darkness, making it impossible to tell that the yacht had been rendered completely invisible to anypony outside of the magical bubble it was in.

Persano walked to the very edge of the yacht's bow and looked out. Even though it was nearing midnight, he could still make out the enchanted wall on the Uncharted Land's border, as well as several royal guards making sure nothing got past. "Okay Fedora, you ready?"  
>"I'm ready, Mr. Persano," Fedora said nervously.<br>"Then don't just stand there, cast the spell!"

Fedora concentrated, and a yellow beam of light snaked out of his horn. While the invisibility spell rendered it invisible to anypony who wasn't on the Midnight Jewel, the yellow beam made its way to the enchanted border wall and struck it, dissipating.

It was supposed to be a spell that only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna knew of. But thanks to inside connections and pulling the right strings, Persano knew it, too, and taught it to his subordinates.

The Midnight Jewel pressed on to the border, and began to fly over the wall. This had always been a tense moment for its crew, as if the spell didn't work, they would likely be instantly exposed. But the Midnight Jewel successfully flew over the wall, the royal guards completely oblivious to what was happening.

"Okay Fedora, now close 'er back up!" Persano ordered. Fedora nodded his head before sending the yellow beam of light from his horn again, hitting the wall and re-enchanting it.

"Jeez, how could somepony forget that?" Fedora wondered aloud. "It's such a simple step..."  
>"Well, that's why they're dead now," Persano said with a smile. "Well, except for Sonny Boy... I bet he's still screaming down there..." He couldn't help but smile even more widely at the thought.<br>"Mr. Persano, I'm pretty sure he's dead by now," Fedora said.  
>"Hey, I can dream, can't I?" Persano said, taking a satisfied puff of his cigar. "Okay fellas, we're over the border. From now on, the Uncharted Land is our home. And we're gonna bleed this place for every bit of gold it has."<p>

He took a moment to look out over the horizon, satisfied at its vastness. "Nopony's ever mapped this place out, but even a retarded baby dragon could tell you it's big. Really big. And all over this place, in every mountain, under every forest... Hay, under every lake... there's probably a big fat deposit of gold sittin' there, waitin' to be dug up. Now I'm gonna go get some shuteye, and all you fellas best do the same. You're gonna be workin' your asses off tomorrow."

Persano made his way across the deck to his cabin, but stopped as he heard Fedora boasting to the others. The stout unicorn's proud bragging sent memories rushing through Persano's mind... memories that filled him with hatred and disgust.

"What do you guys think of THAT?" Fedora asked. He was clearly pleased with his performance in deactivating and then reactivating the border... so pleased that he didn't notice the other stallions' faces fill with fear. "I cast the same spell that Princess Sunshine or whatever the buck her name is can cast!"

Fedora was cut off when something zapped him in the flank, making him groan with pain. Persano then grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him to his face, to the point that their muzzles were nearly touching, and all of Fedora's enthusiasm vanished as he was forced to look the furious unicorn in his blazing red eyes.

"For cryin' out loud, cut out the self-praise," Persano hissed angrily, and his tone became thick with disgust. "You're reminding me of my ex."

"Y...yes, Mr. Persano," Fedora said meekly. Persano then shoved him aside and headed to his personal quarters, leaving Fedora standing there feeling like a fool.

...

Rainbow Dash's eyelids fluttered open as she woke up from a deep, peaceful night's sleep. After gaining her bearings, she immediately realized two things: That she was in Scootaloo's bedroom, and that she was still holding Scootaloo in her forelegs.

Scootaloo was still sound asleep, her legs sprawled out across the rest of the bed as she was snuggled right up against Rainbow. Watching as the innocent filly slept peacefully in her forelegs, Rainbow wondered how anypony - those bullies Scootaloo told her about, and especially Clyde Persano - could be so cruel to something so sweet, kind, and adorable. And at the foot of the bed was Tank, just starting to poke his head out of his shell and start the day.

"We're... a little family," Rainbow thought, smiling.

Letting go of Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash gently shook her small body, which resulted in a yawn coming from Scootaloo. "Five more minutes?"  
>"I'd love to, but nope," Rainbow said with a grin. "We gotta get up and get goin'. Well, you do - I have the day off."<br>"Really? That's cool," Scootaloo said as she hopped out of the bed. "I wish I did... what are you gonna do?"

"I dunno," Rainbow Dash said with a shrug as she petted Tank on his head. "I can't just hang around here, missin' you. I'll probably go see what everypony's up to, or do some stunts, or... I dunno."  
>"Well, don't do anything too cool without me, okay?" Scootaloo said, gesturing back to her wings.<br>Rainbow smiled. "Don't worry, kiddo, I won't."

After brushing their teeth in their respective bathrooms, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo went downstairs to the kitchen, where Rainbow poured two bowls of Sugarcube Bits after leaving a plate of vegetables on the floor for Tank.

"Is it cool if I fly with you to school today?" Rainbow asked as she sat down at the kitchen table. "I mean, it will be your first solo flight...  
>"Yeah, that'll be cool," Scootaloo said as she sat down across from Rainbow. "Hey... you think I can do it without the trainer?"<br>"Hmm, it's worth a shot," Rainbow said. "Considering how well you did yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised. I'll bring it along though, just in case."

After finishing breakfast, getting the trainer from Scootaloo's bedroom and putting it in her saddlebag, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo walked out of the house, to the very edge of the cloud. After flexing her wings, Rainbow jumped off the edge and started to hover in the air.

"Okay Squirt! Remember what I told ya yesterday and hop off, and if you screw up I'll catch ya!"

Scootaloo braced herself, her brow furrowed with confidence. This was her first time flying without the trainer, and she was determined that it wouldn't be the last. Flexing her wings, Scootaloo hopped off of the edge of the cloud, feeling a rush of adrenaline as she was in midair. Starting to fall, she straightened out her wings and started to flap them... and stopped falling. Rather, she rose up in the air! Taking a moment to look back at her bare, completely unassisted wings, Scootaloo shouted with joy and pumped her forehoof. "YEAH!"

Rainbow Dash smiled with a mixture of amusement and pride. "Great kiddo, but don't get cocky! Can you fly forward?"  
>Scootaloo began to rotate her wings, and started to fly forward. Rainbow flew ahead, and Scootaloo started to flap her wings faster to catch up.<p>

"You're doin' great, Scoot!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, looking back at the determined orange filly. "I'm really proud of ya! Now let's get your flank to school!"

As she followed Rainbow through the air to Cheerilee's schoolhouse, Scootaloo had never felt so free. Without the trainer on, she could feel the wind blowing past her feathers as she soared through the sky. It was a bit like swimming, only with the great feeling of the wind blowing against her face and through her mane, making her feel like a rocket. And the fact that she was flying side-by-side with Rainbow Dash was literally a dream come true.

She only wished that her birth parents could see her.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo soon arrived at the schoolhouse, where a lot of foals and their parents were standing around the front doors. "Huh, wonder what's goin' on?" Scootaloo asked.  
>"Let's find out," Rainbow Dash said. As they started to approach the crowd, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked up at them and waved.<p>

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Apple Bloom shouted, "Hey Scoota-"

Suddenly, her eyes went as wide as saucers, and so did Sweetie Belle's. "SCOOTALOO! YOU'RE FLYIN'!"  
>"Yay!" Sweetie Belle cried with joy.<p>

"Took me long enough, but I'm finally airborne," Scootaloo said as she landed, only to be instantly greeted with a Cutie Mark Crusader group hug. Rainbow Dash watched with pride as the three fillies sat on the ground and hugged one another. And while Scootaloo was normally turned off by "mushy" moments, even she couldn't help but give a beautific smile of joy as she and her two best friends demonstrated their sisterly love for each other.

"We knew you had it in ya, Scoot!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.  
>"How'd you learn so quick?" Sweetie Belle asked.<br>"Weeeeell... I had a really good teacher," Scootaloo said, looking at Rainbow Dash and exchanging winks.

The Crusaders broke up their hug, when Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at Scootaloo's flank and frowned.  
>"Ah can't believe ya didn't get your cutie mark!" Apple Bloom said. "What are ya gonna have to do, fly into space and go around and around and around the world?" she said, bobbing her head in a circular motion.<br>"Maybe," Scootaloo chuckled. "But who gives a flying feather? I can fly!" She looked at the crowd, and saw that it was rapidly depleting as foals and their parents left. "What's goin' on, anyway?"

"Poor Miss Cheerilee's sick," Sweetie Belle said. "We just have to do the homework for chapter 6 in our books. But we don't have school today!"  
>Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Wait a sec... don't schools usually have substitute teachers?"<br>"We did one day," Scootaloo explained. "Never again."  
>"Why not?" Rainbow asked curiously.<br>"The sub was Derpy," Scootaloo said with a grin. "It was the day we learned about volcanoes, and had to do an experiment. Leeeeet's just say that we got a lotta off days 'cause they had to build a whole new wall."

"Well... okay then," Rainbow Dash said with a nervous laugh. "How many jobs has Derpy had, anyway?" She then placed a forehoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Well Scoots, you wanna come back home with me?"  
>Scootaloo took a moment to decide. A whole day with Rainbow Dash sounded wonderful... but she also hadn't been able to spend as much time as she would have liked with her fellow Crusaders. "Mom, is it okay if we go do some Crusading?"<br>"Sure," Rainbow said. "Where are you gonna go?"

Scootaloo paused and bit her lip, and looked back at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Where do you guys wanna go?"  
>"The farm!" Apple Bloom said, hopping into the air with excitement.<br>"We went there last time!" Sweetie Belle argued. "We should go to Rarity's!"  
>"I dunno," Scootaloo said. "Last time, we flooded the place and ruined most of her clothes. She was... not happy."<br>"You're right," Sweetie Belle said. "Guess we weren't meant to be Cutie Mark Crusader plumbers."

As Rainbow Dash watched the three fillies try and fail to come up with a destination, she tried to think of one herself. The first place that came to mind was Whitetail Wood, where she and Applejack spent many afternoons racing each other, relaxing under the trees, and just enjoying the scenery. And she had also been at the place enough to know that it was safe... and after the previous day's incident with Clyde Persano, Scootaloo's safety was something Rainbow valued greatly. "Hey! What about Whitetail Wood? That's a cool place... safe, too."

The Crusaders took a moment to mull over the suggestion. Scootaloo was the first to voice her opinion, saying "Sounds awesome to me!"  
>"I dunno," Apple Bloom said with a frown. "Last time we went there, we all got covered in sticky sap! Took Big Mac hours t' clean us up!"<br>Scootaloo scoffed. "Come on girls, where's your sense of adventure? We're not gonna get cutie marks staying where it's nice and clean and tidy! If we get a little dirty, so be it! I'm up for it."  
>"Me too," Sweetie Belle added. Apple Bloom shrugged her shoulders.<br>"Well, guess Ah'm in, too. As long as we don't go ziplinin', we should be fine," she said, shooting Scootaloo a look.  
>"Hey, that was Spike's idea!" Scootaloo retorted.<p>

Rainbow Dash smiled and shook her head, but she was also somewhat concerned. What if Persano came back for Scootaloo... and Rainbow wasn't there to protect her?  
>"You want me to come with you?" Rainbow asked.<br>Scootaloo frowned, unsure. "I dunno, Mom... we get into some crazy stuff..."  
>"Can't be any crazier than some of the crap I get into!" Rainbow said. "Ever been to Ghastly Go-" She suddenly stopped herself, realizing that a mention of Ghastly Gorge could give the Crusaders some bad ideas. "Forget it, I just wanna be sure you're safe."<br>"We'll be fine, Mom!" Scootaloo said. "Honest! Sure, we might get covered in sap, or mud, or who knows what else, but we'll be okay."

Rainbow Dash frowned. She didn't want to be an overbearing mother, as she could only imagine how annoying that would be to somepony like Scootaloo. But at the same time, if something happened, she would never be able to live with herself. But she knew that Whitetail Wood was a safe haven, and that Trolls hadn't been sighted since the incident with Whiteclaw and Scootaloo's family. And while a fear of Clyde Persano returning rested in her mind, he certainly seemed afraid after Rainbow introduced him to her hooves.

"Okay," Rainbow Dash finally said reluctantly. "Just... be careful, all of you. Okay? If somethin' happened... I don't know what I'd do..."  
>Scootaloo gave her a hug and reached up to give her a gentle nuzzle. "We'll be okay, Mom. Promise! YOU be careful."<br>"I will, Squirt," Rainbow said affectionately as she returned Scootaloo's hug and nuzzle. "Okay, I'm off. Good luck finding those cutie marks!"

As Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle waved goodbye, Rainbow Dash flew off, headed home... completely oblivious to the fact that another threat to her daughter and the other Crusaders was hiding behind a tree, plotting.

"Oh yeah, they'll be just fine..." Diamond Tiara said, watching from behind the big oak tree as her sworn enemies talked with each other. She had told her father Filthy Rich that she had planned a playdate with the Crusaders, so he left her behind, promising to pick her up later. And Silver Spoon was at home with the flu, which suited Diamond. She had been growing "soft" lately, and would just try to stop her.

After getting detention, a paper, and a strong tongue-lashing from her parents as a result of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, it was time for revenge.

From what Diamond Tiara could make out, the Crusaders were going to Whitetail Wood... which wasn't too far away from Birchcove Forest. While it was nowhere near as dangerous as the Everfree Forest was, it was quite vast...

...

Rainbow Dash flew through the sky like a cyan-colored rocket, leaving one of her famed rainbow trails in her wake. As the blur of orange leaves, green grass and blue sky rushed past her, thoughts of Scootaloo were running through her mind. Even though she had given Clyde Persano a good reason not to mess with her, she couldn't shake the feeling that he may come back for revenge. As she flew towards her house, she became more and more tempted to go back and follow Scootaloo and the Crusaders, keeping an eye on them even if just from the sidelines.

Finally, Rainbow Dash arrived at her cloud home and landed on the fluffy white lawn. She opened the mailbox and pulled a few envelopes out with her mouth, and headed to the door and opened it. But as she stepped into the house, empty aside from herself and Tank, she noticed just how quiet it was without Scootaloo around.

Before Scootaloo came into her care, Rainbow Dash didn't spend much time at her home, even when she wasn't working. She would either spend her free time in the clouds or with her friends, finding both choices far more enjoyable than being in her house, all alone with the exception of a friendly but silent tortoise. Rainbow couldn't stand to be alone, and spending any long amount of time in her house would make her very lonely.

But when Scootaloo started living with her, it all changed. She had somepony to take care of, to talk to, to share laughter and tears with, and to love. It hadn't even been a whole month yet, and Rainbow already couldn't imagine her life without Scootaloo. While she was not at all thankful for the event that led to Scootaloo living with her... she was thankful that Scootaloo chose to live with her.

With a sigh, Rainbow Dash started to look through the mail, and tossed aside junk letter after junk letter until something caught her eye: A bright pink envelope, a stark contrast from the typical dull white. With a grin, Rainbow started to open the envelope. "Gee, wonder who this is from..." She pulled a festive, colorful card out of the envelope, and opened it - sending an unbelievable amount of confetti spraying out, leaving her in a shower of small multicolored pieces of paper. After brushing some of it from her mane with a chuckle, Rainbow started to read the letter.

Hiya Dashie,

It's me, Pinkie Pie! I heard you're off work today and Scootaloo is hanging with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle! If you're not doing anything else, could you please, please, please come to Sugarcube Corner? Mr. and Mrs. Cake are on vacation and took Pound and Pumpkin with them, so I'm in charge - and I'm gonna make 20 cupcakes!

That's an awful lot, and everypony else is busy, so could you please come and give me a helping hoof? It'll be fun! If you can make it, I'll be so happy I'll hardly be able to breathe!

Your pal,

Pinkie

"But how does she know - aw, forget it," Rainbow Dash said with a smile, setting the letter on the kitchen table and walking back outside. While she was far from the best baker in Equestria, she hadn't spent much time with Pinkie Pie lately, and somewhat missed the truly bizarre but friendly and loving Earth pony's antics. And if nothing else, being with Pinkie would certainly take her mind off of things.

...

After going to the clubhouse and getting Scootaloo's scooter and their wagon, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle took off for Whitetail Wood. As always, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rode in the wagon as Scootaloo pulled them on her scooter, using her wings to accelerate. Her newly gained abilities made it tempting to try out new tricks, but she wasn't about to do anything that could endanger her friends. While they were going fast, they still had a mile or so to go before they reached Whitetail Wood, so Scootaloo tried to think of something to discuss that could pass the time... when she remembered the previous night's events.

"You guys wouldn't BELIEVE what happened last night!" Scootaloo said, a smirk on her face.  
>"What happened?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle asked nearly in unison, their ears perked in Scootaloo's direction.<p>

"Well, that Clyde Per-flank-face jerk showed up last night and tried to get me to take this weird pill, so of course I turned it down. Then he tried to take me - by force!"  
>Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gasped in a mixture of shock and hatred towards Persano. "What happened?"<br>"Mom kicked his butt, that's what happened!" Scootaloo said proudly. "She came flyin' in there and knocked him to the floor, and pounded his face in like 50 times! He was screamin' and cryin'..." She couldn't help but exaggerate the event, and put on a mock crying tone. "Oh, please, Rainbow Dash! Don't hurt me! Please, not my face! Not my butt-ugly, scrawny face! Oh, Uncle! Uncle! You're the best, most awesome pony ever, and I'm just a jerk and a total weenie! I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!"

Scootaloo's "impression" of Persano was met with gales of laughter - Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle could tell that she was greatly exaggerating the events, but they still found her hilarious. "Mom punched him so hard, he won't be able to smell right ever again! Stupid jerk... shame she didn't rip his freakin' head off!"  
>"So what happened next?" Sweetie Belle asked.<br>"He ran wee-wee-wee, all the way home!" Scootaloo said, laughing. "Got in that big ugly piece of crap carriage of his, and off he went! Doubt he'll ever come near me or Mom again!"  
>"Ah hope not," Apple Bloom said. "So what do y'all girls wanna do when we get there?"<br>"Anything that doesn't end in us getting covered in cider?" Scootaloo said. "Last time, I thought we were gonna have to break out the scissors!"

After cruising through some grassy knolls and past a glistening lake, the Crusaders could see a large forest, and with its canopy full of red, orange and gold leaves, it was a beautiful sight.  
>"Wonder when they're gonna do the Running of the Leaves this year?" Scootaloo wondered aloud.<br>"Ah dunno," Apple Bloom said. "Ah know mah sister's gonna be in it!"  
>"Cool," Scootaloo said. "Wonder if Mom will..."<p>

Suddenly, Scootaloo realized something - she hadn't told Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle that Rainbow Dash had been accepted into the Wonderbolts! "OH!" she exclaimed, "You guys aren't gonna believe this - Mom's gonna be a Wonderbolt!"  
>"Really!" Sweetie Belle said.<br>"That's wonderful!" Apple Bloom added.  
>"Sure is," Scootaloo said proudly. "I just know she's gonna be the best. Better than Spitfire, better than Soarin'..." She sighed, partially out of admiration and partially out of sadness.<p>

"I'm really gonna miss her when she's away, though..."  
>Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's enthusiasm dampened instantly. "Yeah..." Apple Bloom said. "But we'll be here for ya!"<br>"When's her first day?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"My birthday," Scootaloo said. "Figures, doesn't it? But she doesn't know that... and I'm not gonna tell her."  
>"Why not?" Sweetie Belle said, surprised. "It's your birthday!"<br>"I know, but... I can't do that to her!" Scootaloo said. "It's been her dream since she was really little! I can't mess that up! I'm not gonna say a word about it, and if she asks, I'll just make something up."

They arrived at the edge of Whitetail Wood, and Scootaloo stopped, taking off her helmet and setting it on the handlebars. Apple Bloom hopped out of the wagon, followed by Sweetie Belle, and they both stretched their sore legs. "So what should we do?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking around the forest in search of anything interesting, when she saw that Scootaloo didn't appear to be very happy. "Scootaloo, are you okay?"  
>"I'm fine," Scootaloo said, although her voice betrayed her words.<br>"You sure?"  
>"Honest," Scootaloo insisted. "It's just..." she started, and then sighed. "If it's okay with you two, I need a little alone time."<p>

"Go ahead," Apple Bloom said. "We'll wait up for ya."  
>"No, go ahead! I don't want ya waiting around for me."<br>"We'll wait," Sweetie Belle said.  
>"No!" Scootaloo said, and she could feel her eyes watering up. "Just... I gotta go."<p>

And with that, she lifted up off the ground and flew away until she landed on one of the grassy knolls they passed to get to Whitetail Wood. Upon landing, she wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes, and fell down on her back and sighed.

"What if she ends up going on really long trips?" Scootaloo asked herself, Rainbow Dash's Wonderbolts acceptance tormenting her mind. "What if we have to move? What if she gets in an accident and..." Once again, tears welled up in her eyes, and she grunted as she wiped them away.

"Come on, Scoots," she told herself, her sadness replaced by determination. "Get a grip! Stop being so selfish! She's given up so much for me... the least I can do is let her live her dream! Even if she does have to... leave for a while..."

As Scootaloo lied on her back and gazed up at the clear blue sky - which reminded her of Rainbow Dash, making her feel even worse - her attention soon turned to a monarch butterfly that she saw fluttering nearby, by itself. Intrigued, Scootaloo stood up and slowly approached the butterfly, trying not to frighten it off. But even as she got close, the butterfly just happily fluttered around, seeming to not have a care in the world.

"Hey, little fella," Scootaloo whispered softly. "How ya doin'?" As she watched the butterfly flying around in circles and making flight look as easy as could be, she remembered how Rainbow Dash told her how gracefully she flew, and felt an odd connection to the insect.

Flopping down onto her back, Scootaloo reached up to the butterfly with a forehoof, waiting to see how it would react. To her pleasant surprise, the butterfly landed on her hoof. "You're really graceful, you know," Scootaloo said. "And Mom says I'm really graceful... I guess we're like birds of a feather, huh?"

Just then, the butterfly took flight, leaving Scootaloo's hoof... and landing again, right on her nose. "Hey," she giggled, "That tickles! You're gonna make me sneeze if ya don't watch it!"

But suddenly, Scootaloo heard an awful, high-pitched screeching sound that frightened both herself and the butterfly. As the butterfly fluttered away, Scootaloo jumped up into the air and started to fly in the direction the screech came from, fearing for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. She had never heard anything quite like it - but it could have been a dangerous monster.

"Hold on, girls, I'm comin'!"

Flying as fast as she possibly could, Scootaloo soon reached the edge of Whitetail Wood... and saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle standing with Diamond Tiara. The bully looked worse for wear - her normally immaculately coiffed mane was disheveled, beads of sweat were dripping off of her, and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"SCOOTALOO!" Diamond Tiara screamed, "You can fly! Thank Celestia you're here!"  
>"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Scootaloo said, landing in front of her. "One, what the hay are YOU doing here? And two, what in Equestria was that screeching noise?"<p>

"Her," Apple Bloom said, pointing a hoof at Diamond Tiara. "Says her puppy's gone missin'..." From her expression to her tone, it was obvious that Apple Bloom was highly skeptical.  
>Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Look, what's the deal?"<p>

"I'll tell you what the deal is!" Diamond Tiara bawled. "I was taking my puppy for a walk, and he ran off... into Birchcove Forest! I called him and called him and called him, and he didn't come! You've GOT to help me find him!"  
>"And why should we believe you for a second?" Scootaloo asked. "You've been a pain in the flank since we knew ya!"<br>"Because... you just have to!" Diamond said, still crying. "Please... I know I've been kinda mean to you, but please, help me find him!"

"I know you think we're a bunch of nincom... whatever the word is," Sweetiee Belle said. "But we're not! So quit wastin' your time!"

Diamond Tiara, looking utterly devastated, broke down and started bawling. "Please... help... he could get lost, or starve to death, or..."

As the rich, bullying filly cried in front of them, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle all felt conflicted. Sure, it could have very well been one of Diamond's dirty tricks... but what if she was being truthful?

"Are ya really bein' honest with us?" Apple Bloom asked.  
>"Y..yes," Diamond Tiara sobbed. "Why would I lie about... about this?"<br>"Why wouldn't you?" Scootaloo said crossly. "You've driven us crazy for years!"  
>"PLEASE!" Diamond Tiara wailed. "I'll do your homework! I'll clean your rooms! I'll do anything for you! ANYTHING!"<p>

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, nodded, and looked back at Diamond Tiara. "Okay, Diamond," Apple Bloom said, "We'll help ya."  
>Diamond Tiara quickly wiped her eyes and smiled. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I won't forget this!"<p>

"But this had BETTER not be a trick," Scootaloo said, her brow furrowed.  
>"Trust me, it's not!" Diamond insisted. "I'll never pick on you three again!"<p>

The four fillies ran to the wagon, and Scootaloo stepped onto the scooter and put her helmet on as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara hopped in the wagon.  
>"We're gonna need t' call your puppy when we get there," Apple Bloom said. "What's his name?"<br>"Mr. Fluffymuffin," Diamond said, prideful but shakily.

"That's his name? Poor thing," Scootaloo muttered.  
>"What was that?" Diamond Tiara snapped.<br>"Oh, nothing," Scootaloo said. "Now let's get moving!"

Scootaloo kicked forward with her hoof and flapped her wings, and they were off, headed toward Birchcove Forest at full blast. And even though she didn't show it, Diamond Tiara was overjoyed.

She always was complimented for her acting in school plays.


	10. The Guardian

"I'm SO happy you could make it, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie giggled, hopping around the bright, happy kitchen of Sugarcube Corner. "I'm so happy I can hardly breathe! We're gonna have so much fun!"  
>"I bet we will," Rainbow Dash said. "But… Pinkie, do I REALLY have to wear this goofy hat?" she said with a frown, pointing at the huge poofy chef's hat that Pinkie insisted she wear. The chef's hat she had worn at that cherry faction in Dodge Junction was bad enough, but this was a floppy, oversized monstrosity.<p>

"But of course!" Pinkie Pie gasped. "It makes the cupcakes taste better if you wear that hat while you're making them, y'know."  
>"If ya say so," Rainbow Dash said, shrugging. "But wait a minute - you're not wearing one! Why not?"<br>"I don't need to!" Pinkie smiled. "I have special skills!"  
>"But you said-" Rainbow started, and then shrugged again. "Never mind. So, what do we do?"<p>

Pinkie Pie then told Rainbow Dash the steps to making cupcakes. In song. "All you have to do is take a cup of flour, add it to the mix! Now just take a little something sweet, not sour, a bit of salt, just a pinch! Baking these treats is such a cinch, add a teaspoon of vanilla! Add a little more, and you count to four, and you never get you fill of… CUPCAKES! So sweet and tasty-"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Rainbow laughed as she started to follow Pinkie's sung instructions. "Alright, I added the flour. Now we need something sweet."  
>"Which would be… CANDY!" Pinkie exclaimed. She hopped over to the pantry and came back walking on her hind legs, with both forelegs full of various colorful sweets. Lollipops, candy canes, chocolate bars, sugar cubes, jelly beans…<p>

"I bet the dentist loves this place," Rainbow muttered. "It's bits in the bank!"  
>"What was that?" Pinkie asked with a smile.<br>"Oh, nothing," Rainbow said. "You think we have enough?"  
>"Sure we do, silly," Pinkie said, and she dumped all the sweets in their mixing bowl. After adding some salt and a teaspoon of vanilla, she stirred the mixture around and, after Rainbow got two cupcake trays, poured some of the mix into each of the slots on the trays. As each tray had ten slots, they had all twenty cupcakes.<p>

"Okie dokie, now we just put it in the oven and wait a little!" Pinkie said enthusiastically. "Isn't this fun?"  
>"Actually, yeah it is!" Rainbow said, smiling. Sure, she was still worried about Scootaloo, but was still having a lot of fun with her friend. They sat down at the round kitchen table to wait the timer out.<p>

"So, how's Scootaloo?" Pinkie Pie asked, her tone becoming a bit more serious. "Poor little thing... I feel awful for her."  
>"It's been pretty tough for her," Rainbow Dash said. "Me, too. I hate seeing her like that. But she's gotten a lot better, and we're like two peas in a pod! Hay, she's started callin' me "Mom". I thought it would take her a little longer..."<br>"She loves you to pieces, Dashie!" Pinkie said. "You should have seen what she drew when they had a sleepover here... Apple Bloom drew a farm, Sweetie Belle drew a mountain, and Scoots... well, she drew herself hugging you!"

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked. She wasn't too surprised, but it still genuinely touched her.  
>"Hmm-hmm," Pinkie said, nodding. "She told me you were like a big sister to her. Guess you're a little more than that now, huh?"<br>"Yeah, I reckon so," Rainbow Dash said, smiling bashfully.

...

"We're almost there!" Diamond Tiara said as she and the Crusaders approached a large, dense forest at the foot of a stout, jagged mountain. She had stopped crying, but was still very worried. "I hope Mr. Fluffymuffin's okay..."  
>"I hope he's real!" Scootaloo said, still skeptical.<br>"I told you this wasn't a joke"! Diamond said, her brow furrowed and her teeth clenched with anger. "He is too real! He's a little, fat, fluffy white dog with a pink bow!"  
>Scootaloo couldn't help but giggle as she reached the edge of the forest and stopped. "Well, at least he'll be easy to spot. Hard to miss something that ridiculous!"<br>"He is NOT ridiculous!" Diamond yelled.  
>"Is too!" Scootaloo retorted.<br>"Is not!"  
>"Is too!"<br>"Is-"

"STOP, both of ya!" Apple Bloom yelled. "How are we gonna find him if y'all are actin' like a couple silly fillies? Now where did you see him go in, Diamond Tiara?" There was still a bit of doubt in her mind, but part of her believed that Diamond Tiara was telling the truth.

After shooting Scootaloo a dirty look, Diamond Tiara looked around, using her foreleg as a visor to block the sun. "I saw him go in over there," she said, pointing to an opening in the forest next to a large boulder. "You gotta get in there and find him!"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and looked back at Diamond Tiara. "You're not coming with us?"  
>"No," Diamond said as she hopped out of the wagon and started to trot off. "I just remembered my Mom and Dad are going to have apple cobbler for dinner, an-" She was suddenly cut off when an orange foreleg grabbed her around the neck.<p>

"Oh no, you don't," Scootaloo said. "You're comin' with us. I mean, don't you wanna help find Mr. Poofypants or whatever his name is?"  
>"Mr. Fluffymuffin!" Diamond Tiara corrected. "And of course! It's just..."<br>Scootaloo gave her a smirk. "If he was REALLY in danger, and you REALLY wanted to find him... you'd come along, right?"  
>"Right," Diamond said, "Sorry, I got my priorities messed up." Scootaloo had taken her off guard and ruined her plan, so she had to think quick to remain convincing and think of a solution to her problem. "Let's go."<p>

After Diamond Tiara hopped back in the wagon, Scootaloo climbed onto the scooter and they took off into the dense forest.

...

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie spent the rest of the wait reminiscing about crazy pranks they'd pulled together when the oven's bell rang.

"They're REEEEADY!" Pinkie exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie trotted over to the oven, and Pinkie opened the door as Rainbow put on oven mitts and took out the two trays, filling the kitchen with an almot irresistible aroma. As the two mares looked over the golden brown cupcakes, Pinkie licked her lips.

"Mmm, they look delicious! We took them out just in time!"  
>"Hope they're good," Rainbow Dash said.<br>"Don't be silly, they're fine," Pinkie said. "I can tell. Now all we need is the special ingredient..."  
>"Special ingredient?" Rainbow asked.<p>

"Oh, yeah," Pinkie Pie said as she pulled a drawer open and felt around inside with her hoof. "Not too long ago, I found out that cupcakes can be made even yummier if you add..." Suddenly, she pulled out a plastic bag full of a strange, colorful powder. "Rainbow Dust!"

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What's that?"  
>"All you have to do is take a vacuum and suck up a whole lot of sugar, and then you find a rainbow and suck the colors off! Open up the vacuum, and TA-DA! Rainbow Dust! You just have to make sure the vacuum's bag is really clean, though..."<br>Rainbow snorted with amusement as Pinkie started to spread the Rainbow Dust on the cupcakes. "I bet..."

After adding a dash of Rainbow Dust to each cupcake, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie then added icing and sprinkles, making for a colorful, delicious-looking batch of cupcakes.

"Now we just have to put 'em in little wrappers - let's do the starry ones! Is that okay with you?" Pinkie asked.  
>"Yeah, that's fine," Rainbow said. They proceeded to carefully slip every cupcake into a paper wrapper, and...<p>

"DONE!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, hopping at least two feet off the ground. "Good job, Dashie!"  
>"Hey, you did most of the work," Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle. "But thanks." Her attention then turned to the floppy hat on her head. "Can I take this dopey hat off now?"<br>"Sure, go ahead," Pinkie said, and Rainbow wasted no time tossing the hat off of her head and trying to fix the case of hat-mane it gave her.  
>"You know, you should wear that kind of hat more often," Pinkie suggested. "It's a good look for you!"<br>"Eh... no thanks," Rainbow said. "I'm more into goggles and helmets, myself. How's that goofy thing gonna protect me if I crash into a tree or something?"

"But you don't even wear goggles or a helmet half the time!" Pinkie Pie pointed out, when she heard the doorbell chime as somepony entered the shop. "Oooh! I bet that's her!"  
>"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Who's 'her'?"<br>"Princess Luna!"  
>Rainbow's face went blank with shock. "P...princess Luna?"<br>"Yep!" Pinkie said. "She came by this morning and ordered 20 cupcakes, and we just made 'em! Let's take them to her now!"  
>Rainbow Dash blinked in shock, completely taken aback that she had just helped make cupcakes for one of Equestria's Princesses. "But why didn't you te-"<br>"Didn't think it'd matter," Pinkie said.  
>"But we don't even know if these are any goo-"<p>

Suddenly, a mare's voice that they both recognized as belonging to Princess Luna came from outside the kitchen. "Is anypony here?" Luna had greatly adjusted to modern ways of speaking since her return and had an authoritative and commanding, but also comforting, voice. It was a far cry from her Royal Canterlot Voice she so famously demonstrated on Nightmare Night.

"Coming!" Pinkie Pie said eagerly, grabbing a tray of cupcakes with her mouth. Rainbow Dash grabbed the other tray and followed Pinkie out of the kitchen and to Sugarcube Corner's counter, where Princess Luna was waiting patiently. With her royal attire, tall and sleek figure, and flowing, astral mane, Luna looked every bit as regal as her sister did. A smile spread across her dark blue muzzle as Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash came out of the kitchen, set the cupcake trays on the counter, and bowed.

"It is good to see you again," Luna said, "Both of you." Due to her schedule, she wasn't always able to interact with her subjects as much as she wanted to - and she had a special appreciation for these particular subjects, as they helped free her from corruption.

"It's good to see you too, Princess," Rainbow Dash said. "Though I've gotta say I'm surprised to see ya out and about."  
>"You're not the first," Luna said. "My sister and I have been very busy lately, what with the return of Whiteclaw and all... and we were frankly in the mood for cupcakes."<br>"That's wonderful," Pinkie Pie said. "But weren't there any cupcake places that were a little closer?"  
>"Yes, but none of them are as delicious as the cupcakes you offer here," Luna said. "And they can also make cupcakes at the castle, and we tried them once... but never again." A mischevious grin came to her face as she added "Frankly, I ate things on the Moon that tasted better."<p>

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie laughed, despite their surprise at Luna's willingness to joke about a time that she would surely like to forget. Luna then looked at Rainbow with solemn eyes. "I have heard about Scootaloo... if you do not mind me asking, how is she holding up?"

"Great," Rainbow Dash said with a proud smile. "It took her a while, but she's back on her hooves. Still has the occasional nightmare." But then she noticed the frown that suddenly appeared on Luna's face. "Oh... I'm sorry, Princess."  
>"You don't have to apologize," Luna said. "It's just a word. A word that's going to haunt me for ages, but still, just a word. But I am glad to hear that Scootaloo is doing alright. Let her know that we are still searching Equestria for any signs of Trolls, and as for Whiteclaw... we have not seen him, but he WILL be brought to justice."<p>

"Good," Rainbow Dash said. "I'll tell her."  
>Luna nodded. Her horn then glowed, and a dark purple bag appeared in mid-air. "The price is 10 bits, right?"<br>"That's right!" Pinkie Pie said. Luna levitated 10 gold coins out of the bag and stacked them neatly on the counter. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Pleasure doing business with YOU!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "Thanks for stopping by, Princess!"  
>"Yeah, it was great seeing you again," Rainbow Dash added.<br>"Likewise," Luna said, smiling. She levitated an individual cupcake from one of the trays, brought it to her mouth, and took a bite. After chewing for a few moments, she smiled. "Delicious!"

...

As Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara sped through the forest on their scooter and wagon, they all kept shouting for Mr. Fluffymuffin, to no results.

"Are you SURE you're not taking us for a ride?" Scootaloo said, growing angry.  
>"Positive!" Diamond Tiara insisted, trying to think of a way to get away and leave them behind. "We just gotta keep calling him, and he'll show up! MR. FLUFFYMUFFIN!"<p>

"Ah know one thing," Apple Bloom said as she warily looked around the dense forest, "This place is givin' me the creeps."  
>"Me too," Scootaloo said. "But the sooner we find Mr. Fluffball-"<br>"Fluffymuffin!"  
>"Whatever his name is... sooner we find him, the better."<p>

As they continued riding through the forest and calling for Mr. Fluffymuffin, Diamond Tiara's mind was busy thinking of a way to get out of there. She came up with a solution... now it was all a matter of timing. But soon, they reached a particularly dense section of the already dense forest, and she decided that it was time to act.

"STOP!"

Scootaloo brought them to a halt and looked back at her. "What? You see him?"  
>"No... I just... like, have to use the restroom. I knew I shouldn't have had that big gulp..."<br>Apple Bloom sighed. "Alright... just make it quick."  
>"I won't be long, trust me," Diamond Tiara said as she hopped out of the wagon. The thought of dirt and pine needles sullying her immaculate hooves made her cringe in disgust, but she also knew that it would be worth it. "Keep calling for him while I'm gone!" And with that, she sprinted behind a patch of large oak trees, leaving Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle with the wagon.<p>

"She's actin' awful suspicious..." Apple Bloom noted, eying the trees Diamond Tiara had disappeared behind.  
>"Ya think?" Scootaloo said. "Still, I reckon we'll go along with it. After all, what if she is telling the truth? I wouldn't bet the farm on it, but ya never know... well, guess we'd better keep calling. MR. FLUFFYBUTT!"<br>"MR. FLUFFYMUFFIN!"  
>"MR. FLUFFYMUFFIN! YOU AROUND?"<p>

But something was bothering Scootaloo. She had been expecting an angry shout from behind the trees correcting her about Mr. Fluffymuffin's name, but she heard nothing. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle kept calling for Mr. Fluffymuffin before Scootaloo shushed them.

"I'm gonna go check behind those trees," Scootaloo said, an irate expression on her face, "Somethin' tells me we just got played." She lifted up off the ground and flew to the trees, taking care to avoid branches on the way, and headed around them... only to see Diamond Tiara galloping off at full blast. The sight filled her with rage.

"Why that little... DIAMOND TIARA!"

Diamond looked behind her for only a moment before breaking into an even faster gallop.

"I'M COMIN' FOR YA, YOU PILE OF MANURE!" Scootaloo yelled, taking off after the bully. Diamond Tiara was a surprisingly fast runner, but Scootaloo was a faster flyer, and within seconds she tackled Diamond to the ground.

"HEY!" Diamond Tiara yelled as Scootaloo held her down, "Get your filthy hooves off me!"  
>"So you thought you could just trick us like this?" Scootaloo hissed angrily through clenched teeth. "Just leave us lost in the woods?"<br>"Uh... duh?" Diamond said with a shrug. "Do you have any idea how much stupid homework and detention I've had because of you?"  
>"We didn't do anything to you!" Scootaloo yelled.<br>"That's right!" Sweetie Belle added, coming up behind Scootaloo with Apple Bloom by her side. "If you had kept your mouth shut, you wouldn't have gotten in trouble!"  
>"What were you planning anyway?" Scootaloo asked. "I bet that dog of yours is safe and sound at home! Right?"<p>

"Diamond Tiara nodded. "Yeah, I lied, but I needed some way to, like, get you out here. After what I've gone through, leaving you Blank Flanks out here in the woods to get lost would be revenge of the sweetes-"

Suddenly, they heard a loud roar coming from nearby, followed by stomping and the rustling of tree branches and leaves falling. Every bit of anger disappeared in Scootaloo, replaced by sheer horror. She hadn't heard roaring like that since her parents were killed. Her eyes full of fear, she first looked back at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who looked just as terrified as she did. She then looked down at Diamond Tiara, who somehow managed to look even more horrified.

As the sounds grew progressively closer, all four fillies were too frightened to say a word, or even move. Finally Sweetie Belle managed to speak.

"What are we gonna do?"

Looking back at her terrified friend, Scootaloo gave the only answer she had.

"Run... NOW!"

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle broke into gallops, running faster than they'd ever run in their lives. Soon they were joined by Diamond Tiara, who was starting to cry. They suddenly heard the horrific sound of crashing trees coming from right behind them, but none of them dared look back... even when they heard an ear-piercingly loud roar.

As she ran, Scootaloo tried to remain strong, but she just couldn't help it as tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"No... no... It's happening again!"

...

After bidding farewell to Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash flew towards Whitetail Wood. Spending time with the fun party pony, as well as seeing Princess Luna again, had taken her mind off of just how worried she was... but only for the time being.

"I sure hope she's okay..."

Rainbow soon arrived at the beautiful forest and looked around for any sign of Scootaloo, her friends, or her scooter. "Scootaloo?" she called out, "You around?" But her gut sank as her search turned up nothing.  
>"SCOOTALOO!" Rainbow cried out, "SCOOTALOO!"<p>

No answer.

Even though she was beginning to sweat, Rainbow Dash tried not to panic. "She'd never leave her scooter around... maybe she went back home?"

After searching the area one last time, Rainbow took off, the wind blowing through her mane as she sped to her house. A few moments later, she arrived, and landed on the porch.

"Please be here," Rainbow Dash repeated to herself as she started to open the door, "Please be here, please be here..."  
>She stepped inside, and saw no sign of Scootaloo or her scooter. "SCOOTALOO!" she yelled again, starting to truly panic, "SCOOTALOO!"<p>

Nothing.

Just then, Tank came from upstairs, hovering on his flying device.  
>"Hey buddy," Rainbow Dash asked, "You seen Scoots?" But the tortoise shook his head.<p>

As the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and sweat dripped from her body, Rainbow sat on the floor and clenched her eyes shut.

"C'mon, keep it together, Rainbow," she told herself, "Maybe she's at the clubhouse..."

As Rainbow Dash left the house and sped towards Sweet Apple Acres, her mind was being overrun with horrifying thoughts. Had a Troll attacked them and eaten them all, not leaving a single trace? Did Clyde Persano return and take them? These possibilities drove her to fly even faster, and within moments, she was at the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres.

"Scoots?" Rainbow yelled, "You around?" After running up the wooden ramp to the front door, she shoved it open, only to find an empty room.

"SCOOTALOO!"

Just then, Rainbow heard the sound of hooves rushing up the clubhouse's wooden walkway, and relief set in. "Scoots, please tell me that's you..."

But instead of Scootaloo, Applejack rushed into the clubhouse, her green eyes wide with worry. "Rainbow? What the hay's goin' on?"  
>"I can't find Scootaloo anywhere!" Rainbow Dash said shakily. "She said she'd be at Whitetail Wood, but she's not there! So I thought maybe she went home, but she wasn't there either? Then I thought maybe she'd be here, but nope!" She then pounded a hoof to the clubhouse's wall and miserably put her forehead up against it.<p>

"Hold on, Sugarcube," Applejack said, "Surely she's got some more hangouts she fancies? I know a few of Apple Bloom's, why don't we check those? I'll look with ya!"

Rainbow Dash stepped away from the wall and wasted no time running outside, Applejack right behind her.

...

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara were all huddled inside a large, hollowed-out tree stump, trying to remain absolutely silent. The Troll had been chasing them relentlessly for the past several minutes, until they managed to lose him for just long enough to hide inside the stump. The only sound was an occasional sniffle by Diamond Tiara.

After fully catching her breath and gathering up all of her courage, Scootaloo crept out of the stump just enough that she could peek around the corner. She saw him - a large Troll with dark brown fur stalking around the area. While he wasn't as large as Whiteclaw, he was still big enough to bite a filly into two pieces with a single bite. As she watched the Troll sniff around outside, Scootaloo tried to think of a way for her and her friends to get away... and soon, despite her better judgement, she came up with an idea. It was a stupid, potentially fatal idea... but she had to do something.

"Okay, girls," Scootaloo whispered as she crept back into the stump, and three pairs of wide, terrified eyes looked back at her. "When I give the signal, run. Run as fast as you can. Get the hay outta Dodge!"  
>"What are you talkin' about?" Apple Bloom said, sounding close to tears.<br>"I'm... gonna try and detract him," Scootaloo replied, feeling a lump in her throat. "I'll fly out and get his attention, and when I give the signal, run! Get back to Ponyville as fast as you can. I'll join up with you... I hope..."

"Are you crazy?" Sweetie Belle whispered. "That thing will rip you to shreds!"  
>Scootaloo sighed, well aware of the possibilities. "I know. Just... go with it!" Before she knew it, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle grabbed her in a hug.<p>

"Hey... I've got wings, ya know," Scootaloo said with a nervous chuckle. "He doesn't. But if I... well, you know... I love you two. You're pretty much my sisters. You know that, right?"  
>Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle nodded tearfully.<br>"And tell Mom... well, tell her she's the other best mom anypony could ever have. Next to... my old mom, you know."  
>"We'll do that," Sweetie Belle said sadly.<p>

"Good," Scootaloo said with a nod. "Okay... I'm gonna do it..."

As Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle watched with great concern and Diamond Tiara stared down at the ground, Scootaloo stepped out of the stump, her head hung low. Even though she did have wings, and she could fly away from the Troll... there was a very real possibility that this was going to be a sacrifice. Going crusading with her best friends and sister figures... sitting at the creek, skipping stones... sitting and watching the sunset... flying through the beautiful, open sky... being with Rainbow Dash... the thought of leaving it all broke her heart. But gritting her teeth, Scootaloo took flight, and flew away from the stump and behind the Troll.

"HEY! YOU!"

The Troll whipped around and glared at her with bright green eyes and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

"YEAH! I'M TALKIN' TO YOU! COME AND GET ME!"

The Troll then pounded his chest and roared before flexing his long arms and protracting his claws. As Scootaloo flew away, the Troll lunged at her, missing her by mere inches.

"COME ON!" Scootaloo screamed, "YOU WANT A SNACK, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO WORK FOR IT!" She then flew even further away, the Troll running after her all the while, until she landed in a high tree branch and looked at the stump.

"RUN! QUICK!" Scootaloo yelled, "GET OUTTA HERE!"  
>As the Troll reached the tree, Scootaloo watched as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara ran out of the stump and over a hill. To Scootaloo's horror, the Troll heard them and turned around, seeing the three fillies and immediately running toward them.<p>

"NO!" Scootaloo yelled furiously, diving at the Troll and hitting him in the back of the head. She immediately darted away as he whipped around, his long claws missing her yet again. "YEAH! I'M THE ONE YOU WANT!"

But even though Scootaloo had told them to run away, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and even Diamond Tiara remained on the hill, watching Scootaloo distract the Troll. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were absolutely horrified, but still felt compelled to watch to make sure that Scootaloo made it out. But while Diamond Tiara felt the same way, she was also slowly overcome by a single emotion: Regret.

Scootaloo was sweating and her heart was pounding as she continued to distract the Troll, doing whatever she could to keep it away from the others. But as she focused on the Troll, Scootaloo didn't notice that she was about to back up into a tree... and when she did, the Troll managed to hit her with his claws, leaving three bloody scratches across her stomach.

Scootaloo screamed in pain as she fell to the ground with a thud as the Troll started to crouch down over her... she tried to move, but the Troll grabbed her with one of his hands... she could only watch as he lifted her up to his mouth and opened it, forcing her to look past his sharp teeth and down his throat, and feel his hot breath on her face...

Scootaloo closed her eyes. In an instant, she remembered the highlights of her life.

Being taught how to walk by her mother and father...

...sitting in the house with them on a rainy day...

...getting her scooter for Christmas...

...meeting Rainbow Dash for the first time...

...meeting Sweetie Belle, and later Apple Bloom...

...being given an apple core by Rainbow Dash...

...performing that awful song on stage with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle...

...working with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to make that love potion so that Cheerilee and Big Macintosh would fall in love...

...Rainbow Dash taking her in after her parents were killed, and staying by her side for most of a week...

...reuniting with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle by the lake...

...Rainbow Dash admitting that she loved her...

...Rainbow Dash comforting her after that horrible nightmare, and snuggling up next to Rainbow and falling asleep...

...Rainbow Dash teaching her how to fly..."

"GET YOUR CLAWS OFF OF HER!"

Scootaloo heard the Troll grunt in pain, and then felt him lose his grip on her. When she fell to the ground, Scootaloo opened her eyes to see the Troll running towards the hill... where Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara were throwing rocks at him.

"No..." she groaned, "You were supposed to run..." But as she watched the Troll get closer and closer to her friends, she felt her strength coming back...

"YEAH!" Apple Bloom yelled, throwing a particularly large rock and hitting the Troll right in the chest, "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

But suddenly, the Troll stopped in his tracks, his face blank and his green eyes appearing to be transfixed by something. The three fillies tried to determine his line of vision, and suddenly realized that he was looking at Diamond Tiara.

"It's... my tiara," Diamond Tiara said, "He's staring at my-"

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU!" Scootaloo's voice screamed, and the Troll whipped around to face her. She was standing on all fours, half doubled over in pain... but staring the Troll down with an expression of pure anger, her teeth clenched in a feral rage.

"COME ON!" she yelled, "GIVE ME YOUR WORST!"

The Troll started to run towards her, snarling and roaring all the while. As the Troll got closer and closer, and her wound hurt more and more, Scootaloo realized more than ever that this was it, this was the end. "GO!" she yelled at her friends, tears running down her cheeks, "GET OUTTA HERE!" The Troll got so close that she could hear him breathing, but she held her ground, simply glaring at the Troll as he approached, when...

"HEY! HEY, OVER HERE!"

The Troll stopped in his tracks and spun around, and Scootaloo's ears perked up, surprised. That voice didn't belong to Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle... but to Diamond Tiara. She looked past the Troll and saw Diamond standing on her hind legs, holding her tiara in her forehooves, waving it around.

As Diamond waved her tiara back and forth, the Troll turned his head to follow it. Finally, Diamond threw the tiara as hard as she could and sent it flying far into the woods, and down a hill. The Troll immediately tore after it, running down the hill. As soon as the Troll was gone, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara immediately ran to Scootaloo, who had lied down on her side.

"Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cried out, and when they saw the bleeding clawmarks on Scootaloo's belly, Sweetie started to cry.  
>"C'mon, Sweetie," Scootaloo said, giving a weary, sarcastic chuckle. "I've had worse... remember when Opalescense tore me up? That hurt like... ten times worse..."<br>"You're gonna be okay, Scoots," Apple Bloom said, "We've just gotta get you outta here and to a hospital before that Troll comes back! But first, we've gotta do somethin' about those scratches..."

Apple Bloom reached up to the bow in her red mane and took it off, unraveling it into a pink ribbon just big enough to cover Scootaloo's wound. She then wrapped the ribbon around Scootaloo's torso, covering the clawmarks, and tied it on her back. "That'll do until we get ya t' a hospital," she said. "Sweetie, help me pick her up!"

After wiping her eyes, Sweetie Belle walked up next to Apple Bloom, and they used their heads and necks to lift Scootaloo up onto their backs. The injured pegasus filly was now sprawled across both of their backs, her bleeding impaired by Apple Bloom's makeshift bandage.

"Don't worry," Sweetie Belle said as she and Apple Bloom started to carry her over the hill, "We're gonna get you to the wagon and get you out of these woods!"  
>As Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle carried Scootaloo through the woods, going as quickly as they could without dropping her or causing her discomfort, Diamond Tiara followed them, her head hung low. The whole time, they kept their eyes and ears open for any sign of the Troll, but he didn't return. After 5 minutes that felt like hours, they reached the wagon, and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gently loaded Scootaloo into the wagon's bed.<p>

"Scootaloo, is it okay if I ride your scooter?" Apple Bloom said. Scootaloo was very protective of her scooter, to the point that she didn't let anypony else ride it. The only exception was when she taught Apple Bloom how to ride it after the latter expressed interest.  
>"What do you think?" Scootaloo said, her voice growing raspy. "Of course! Just get my butt to a hospital!"<p>

Apple Bloom put on Scootaloo's helmet, slightly adjusting the strap so it would fit her slightly bigger head, and stepped onto the scooter. Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara hopped in the back with Scootaloo and held her down.

"It's gonna be okay," Sweetie Belle said softly speaking to both Scootaloo and herself, "It's gonna be okay..."  
>"To tell ya the truth, I thought it was gonna be a lot worse..." Scootaloo said, looking up at Sweetie. "I thought I was about to die for a second there... you guys saved my life..."<p>

She gave Sweetie Belle a gentle smile, but then looked at Diamond Tiara with a frown. Diamond looked absolutely miserable with her eyes shut and her head hung. Then she said something that Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle thought they would never hear from her in a thousand years:

"I'm... sorry..."

"Darn right!" Apple Bloom yelled, "Apologize!"  
>Diamond Tiara started to cry, but unlike her loud, fake wails earlier that day, all that came out of her were soft sobs. "I... never meant for it to be like this... I was just gonna get you lost... I didn't want you to nearly get killed! I didn't know that... thing was gonna be around... you could have died!"<br>"You could have, too!" Sweetie Belle pointed out, not angry as much as she was surprised at Diamond's reaction to the event.  
>"I know," Diamond said, sniffling. "But... you're right, you've never done anything to me... sure, you are blank flanks, but you didn't deserve this! I'm so sorry! It's all my fault..."<p>

They soon left the forest, emerging into a field with a lonely hill in the distance... a vast contrast from the field full of grassy knolls they passed when they entered the forest.

"Uh, ah think we came out the wrong way," Apple Bloom said.  
>Scootaloo raised her head up out of the wagon, and groaned. "Aw horseapples..." But as she looked at the hill, she could make out a single pony standing on top of it. "Hey, there's a pony over on that hill!" she exclaimed, "Maybe they can help us?"<p>

Apple Bloom immediately headed to the hill, going as fast as she could. But as they got closer to the hill, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo could see the pony more clearly...

"Hey, it's Vinyl Scratch!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "VINYL!"  
>Vinyl turned to face them - noticeably, she wasn't wearing her sunglasses - and trotted down the hill. "Hey, what are you guys doing out here... whoa, what's wrong?" she said upon seeing the looks on the fillies' faces. She then saw Scootaloo in the wagon and gasped.<p>

"What the buck happened?" Vinyl exclaimed, her red eyes as wide as saucers. "Scootaloo, are you hurt?"  
>"Yeah, I got scratched up pretty bad by a Troll," Scootaloo said, "but it's a long story. We gotta get to a hospital!"<br>"Can ya please help us?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Of course," Vinyl Scratch said. "I know how to get to Ponyville from here! We'd be faster if Scootaloo rode on my back, and you guys followed me."  
>"Are you sure?" Sweetie Belle asked, uncertain.<br>"Sweetie, I used to run track," Vinyl said. "Came in first place 9 out of 10 races. And having her in your wagon will just slow you down."  
>"Alright," Apple Bloom said. "Just be careful..."<p>

Vinyl Scratch nodded, and came up to the side of the wagon, where Sweetie Belle had a hoof on Scootaloo and the pink filly Vinyl had never seen before sat with her head down.  
>"Okay, Scootaloo," Vinyl said softly, "Where'd you get hurt..." But she immediately spotted the dark red spot on the pink ribbon that was wrapped around Scootaloo. "Ah, I see. That's gonna be tricky getting you on my back, since it's on your stomach..."<p>

"Just sit me on my side, like this," Scootaloo said. "I'll hold on."  
>"Alright," Vinyl said. Without being told, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara started to carefully lift Scootaloo up with their forelegs and put her on Vinyl's back. Scootaloo then wrapped her forelegs around Vinyl's shoulders.<p>

"There," Vinyl Scratch said. "You okay?"  
>"Yeah," Scootaloo said, sounding sore and tired. "I know I don't sound okay, but I'm okay. Trust me."<br>Vinyl nodded. "Okay, just hold on tight." She looked to Apple Bloom. "Just follow me, 'kay?"  
>"Okay," Apple Bloom said with a nod. "Now let's get goin'!"<p>

Within seconds, Vinyl Scratch broke into a gallop and took off across the field as Scootaloo clung to her back, and Apple Bloom tried her hardest to keep up. As Vinyl sprinted across the field, she heard Scootaloo's soft voice.  
>"...Vinyl?"<br>"Yeah?" Vinyl asked, not looking back.  
>"Thanks."<br>"No sweat," Vinyl said. "Sooner we get you to that hospital, the better."

...

Rainbow Dash and Applejack spent what felt like hours searching high and low for Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. After checking all of the Crusaders' favorite hangouts and finding nothing, they turned their search to Ponyville. But even after checking nearly every house and shop in town, they turned up nothing. But the more time they spent in Ponyville, the larger their search party grew. One by one, they had been joined by Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, and several other Ponyville citizens.

After checking Vinyl Scratch's house and not even finding Vinyl, the search party stopped to think. Rainbow Dash tried to remain strong, but the more she thought about what could have happened, the more tempting it became to break down right then and there.

"Can anypony think of a place we haven't checked?" Twilight Sparkle asked, addressing the large crowd. "We've nearly turned Ponyville upside down."  
>"There's the Everfree Forest," Rarity said, clearly anxious. "But surely they wouldn't go there!"<br>"Right," Fluttershy said softly, memories of the Cockatrice fresh in her mind. "Especially after what happened last time they went there."

Rainbow Dash fell limply onto her rump and stared blankly at the ground. "What if... that Persano bastard took her? Took them all?" A tear escaped her eye and fell to the ground.  
>"Who?" Pinkie Pie asked.<br>"Clyde Persano," Rainbow explained shakily. "He's this mobster... Scoots' parents owed him money... he tried to kidnap her last night..." She gave a heavy sigh, and a scowl came to her face.

"If he did something to her... to them... I swear, I'll kill him. I don't care what happens... I'll kill the son of a bitch!" She felt a hoof on her shoulder, and looked to see Applejack.

"We don't know that, Sugarcube," Applejack said, her voice gently reassuring. This is a big place... surely, she's gotta be somewhere. And trust me, she'd NEVER leave her scooter... and we haven't seen hide nor hair of it."  
>"I guess you're right," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Well, we aren't getting anywhere like thi-"<p>

"LOOK!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, pointing a hoof to the road leading into Ponyville. The rest of the crowd looked where she was pointing, and saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara riding the wagon and Scootaloo's scooter... and being lead by Vinyl Scratch, who was carrying a limp Scootaloo on her back. As soon as Rainbow saw her daughter's limp form clinging to Vinyl's shoulders, her heart sank.

"SCOOTALOO!" she screamed, taking off and flying up to Vinyl. When she saw that Scootaloo had what appeared to be Apple Bloom's bow wrapped around her torso and covered in blood, her heart sank even deeper and tears formed in her eyes. "Scoots... Oh, no..." But to her great relief, Scootaloo slowly looked up at her and smiled.

"Mom...I'm okay... er, mostly..."

"Oh, honey," Rainbow Dash said, relief washing over her, "What happened?"  
>"Long story," Vinyl Scratch answered, "We gotta get her to the hospital ASAP!" But Rainbow flew in front of her.<br>"Wait, let me take her!" Rainbow insisted. Before Vinyl could answer, she picked up Scootaloo and hoisted her onto her back.

"Careful," Scootaloo said weakly, "My stomach is where I got hurt..."  
>"Shhh," Rainbow Dash whispered, giving Scootaloo a kiss. "Just cling to my shoulders. It's all gonna be alright." She then turned to the crowd and gave them a tired, but appreciative, smile.<p>

"Thanks, everypony."

And with that, she took off for the hospital. Meanwhile, Applejack and Rarity rushed to the wagon and grabbed their younger sisters in hugs.

"What the hay happened?" Applejack asked, stern but also relieved. "We looked everywhere for ya!"  
>"We were worried sick!" Rarity exclaimed.<p>

Apple Bloom sighed. "Look... it's a long story..."  
>"Yeah," Sweetie Belle added. "Can we just go to the hospital and make sure Scootaloo is okay?"<p>

Applejack and Rarity looked at each other. Oddly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were showing none of the tell-tale signs of guilt they had come to recognize, but instead looked simply weary and worried. As for Diamond Tiara, she was still hanging her head, looking away from them. Applejack recognized Diamond as the bully who terrorized Applebloom and her friends, and instantly suspected her of having a part in it.

"Diamond Tiara?" Applejack asked sternly, "You got somethin' to share?"  
>Diamond Tiara looked at her with tear-filled eyes. "Yeah... it's all my fault. I told them I lost my puppy in Birchcove Forest. It was just something I made up... I tried to get them lost in the woods, but then a Troll came along, and... if it weren't for Scootaloo, we would have probably been killed. She clenched her eyes shut and sighed. "I'm sorry..."<p>

Rarity gasped, and turned to Sweetie Belle. "Is this true?"  
>Sweetie nodded.<p>

Both Applejack and Rarity had to fight to keep from exploding at Diamond Tiara as they glared at her. Finally, Applejack spoke up. "Don't think we won't be tellin' your folks about this... but let's just get to the hospital."

...

Dr. Stable stepped out the front doors of Ponyville Hospital, tired but relieved. His job was usually fairly uneventful, and he liked it that way. But today, he had been dealing with an ornery elderly Earth pony stallion with a broken leg, who constantly complained about everything and kept demanding beer and potato chips. Not since Rainbow Dash had Dr. Stable dealt with a more difficult patient.

As he opened his lunchbox and levitated a dandelion sandwich out with his unicorn magic, Dr. Stable chuckled as he thought back on his experience with the Rainbow maned pegasus... especially her midnight break-in for some pot-boiler novel, of all things. But just as he was about to take a bite of his sandwich...

"HELP!" an oddly familiar voice cried.

Dr. Stable looked up from his sandwich and saw none other than Rainbow Dash, carrying a filly on her back. "Rainbow Dash? What's wrong?"  
>"It's my daughter, Scootaloo!" Rainbow said, worried. "I don't know what happened, but she's hurt!"<p>

Dr. Stable packed his sandwich back up and ran back into the hospital, Rainbow Dash following him. "We need a stretcher!"  
>Within seconds, a crew of three nurse ponies came running out of the hall pushing a stretcher. Dr. Stable then took a closer look at Scootaloo, and saw the large dark spot on the ribbon covering her stomach. "Okay, we need to get her a room!" Using his unicorn magic, he carefully levitated Scootaloo off of Rainbow Dash's back and into the stretcher.<br>"Okay, we'll take it from here," Dr. Stable told Rainbow. He then turned to a white nurse pony with her pink mane tied back in a bun. "Nurse Redheart, go prepare Room 25!"  
>"Right away," Nurse Redheart said before running back down the hall. Dr. Stable then addressed the other two nurses. "Nurse Appleaday, Nurse Checkup, you're with me." They started to push the stretcher carrying Scootaloo down the hall, when Rainbow Dash ran up along side them.<p>

"Wait!" she said, before giving Scootaloo a kiss. "I love you, Scoots."  
>"I love you too, Mom," Scootaloo said weakly, returning the kiss.<br>Dr. Stable gave Rainbow a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Rainbow Dash. We'll take care of her. I'll let you know as soon as you come see her."  
>"Alright, doc," Rainbow said. "I'd really appreciate that."<p>

As Dr. Stable and the nurses carried Scootaloo down the hall, Rainbow Dash stood in the lobby, watching them. Even though Scootaloo had been hurt, and even though she was still worried, Rainbow also felt a bit relieved. She didn't even want to think about what would have happened if her suspicions about Clyde Persano had turned out to be true.

Rainbow Dash heard the sound of opening doors, and turned to see Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Vinyl Scratch, in addition to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara. "Is she okay?" Twilight asked.

"I dunno," Rainbow Dash said, "We'll see." She then approached Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara. "What happened?" she asked.

"Well..." Sweetie Belle started, when Diamond Tiara stepped forward.

"It was... my fault," she admitted, her voice cracking. "I told them this story about my dog getting lost in the woods, and... and... I only wanted them to get lost!"  
>"But then a Troll attacked," Apple Bloom continued. "And... Scootaloo tried t' protect us..."<br>"But he got her!" Sweetie Belle added, sounding close to tears. "Scratched her right in the belly!"

Diamond Tiara sighed, a tear running down her cheek. "Yeah... I was able to distract it with my tiara... but it's all my fault... I'm sorry..." She looked up at Rainbow Dash, and while the pegasus didn't respond, Diamond could tell exactly what she was thinking by the expression on her face. Finally, Rainbow spoke.

"'Sorry'?" Rainbow asked, completely furious. "'Sorry'? I ALMOST LOST MY LITTLE GIRL BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU THINK 'I'M SORRY' MAKES IT ALL BETTER! NO! Because of you, my little girl is in a hospital bed, with clawmarks on her stomach, and it's ALL THANKS TO YOU!".

A pindrop could have been heard in the ensuing dead silence, as everypony stared at Rainbow Dash with wide eyes, unsure of what to say. Rainbow scowled at Diamond Tiara, but as she looked into the filly's tear-filled eyes, her expression slowly softened. While she was still furious at Diamond, Rainbow also realized that she was just a filly... and if she did use her tiara to distract the Troll...

Finally, the awkward silence was broken as the doors swung open and Filthy Rich stepped into the lobby wearing a befuddled expression. "What's this I hear about my daughter and Trolls?"

"Dad... you're gonna kill me, but I tricked Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle into going into the woods. I wanted them to get lost... but then a Troll came, and Scootaloo tried to protect us, but she got hurt!"

Immediately, Filthy Rich scowled in anger and approached her. "DIAMOND TIARA RICH!" he snapped, his daughter cringing as he addressed her by her full name - a sure sign that she was in trouble. "First, I hear that you have detention because you accused the mother of one of your classmates of being a pedophile! And now this? What am I going to do with you?"  
>"I know, Dad," Diamond Tiara said sadly, "I'm sorry..."<br>"Don't apologize to me," Filthy Rich said sternly. "You apologize to Scootaloo when she gets out of the hospital. You apologize to her mother. You apologize to her friends." He then addressed the crowd as a whole. "Are you all the search party I was told about?  
>"That we were," Applejack said.<br>"Then apologize to everypony in this room, Diamond Tiara," Filthy Rich ordered. "Now!"

"I'm... sorry, everypony," Diamond said, utterly broken, and then looked at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Especially you two..." she looked at Rainbow Dash. "And you... I hope Scootaloo's okay."

"Now let's go home," Filthy Rich said. "We and your mother are going to have a very long talk..."  
>But suddenly, Apple Bloom spoke up. "Wait! Uh... Mr. Rich... she did save us with her tiara..."<br>"Yeah," Sweetie Belle said. "If she hadn't done that, I don't know what we would have done." Neither she nor Apple Bloom could believe that they'd just defended the filly who had caused them so much misery over the years, but they felt that it needed to be done.

"I see," Filthy Rich said, his tone softening somewhat. "Come on, Diamond Tiara. Let's go." And with that, he and Diamond left the hospital, leaving the others in a state of awkward silence that was finally broken by Vinyl Scratch.

"Whoa," she said, "Between Rainbow Dash and... whoever that dude was, I feel like I've just been in a clop-by shooting."  
>"I know," Rainbow Dash sighed. "I'm sorry, everypony... got a little aggravated there. But... Scoots..."<br>Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder. "She's gonna be fine, from what I saw."  
>"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie added. "Really, she didn't look near as bad as you did when you crashed and broke your wing!"<p>

"Oh yeah, that," Rainbow said with a nervous chuckle.

Just then, Dr. Stable came into the lobby. "I'm not even going to ask what that commotion was," he said, "Just try to be more quiet next time, please. We have ponies here trying to sleep."  
>"Sorry, doc," Rainbow Dash said. "So how is she? Is she gonna be okay?"<p>

Dr. Stable smiled. "She's going to be fine. She does have these claw-marks across her stomach - my best guess is that they were caused by a Troll. We're getting ready to stitch her up right now."  
>"I see," Rainbow Dash said. "Will I be able to see her tonight?"<br>"I'm afraid not," Dr. Stable said, regretfully. "We just cast the numbing spell, so she'll frankly be out of it for most of the night. And besides, she needs her rest. But you'll probably be able to come see her tomorrow."

"I understand," Rainbow said with a nod. "Hey... can you tell her something for me?"  
>"Of course," Dr. Stable said.<br>"Tell her that I love her, and I'm really proud of her. She got hurt doing something really brave."

Dr. Stable smiled. "Okay, I'll tell her that." And with that, he returned to Scootaloo's room. As he left, Rainbow Dash turned to the crowd and gave them a smile.

"Thanks again, guys," she said. "It really means a lot to me that you helped me today." Everypony welcomed her thanks, and she walked out the front door and flew off towards the setting sun, uncertain about the rest of the day.

It would not be long before Luna's moon replaced Celestia's sun in the sky, and Rainbow Dash was not looking forward to a night without Scootaloo at home with her. She had become so accustomed to having dinner with Scootaloo, wishing her goodnight, and sleeping with the knowledge that she was safe, that a night without her was going to be difficult.

...

Four hours later, the sun had completely fallen and Rainbow Dash was lying in her bed, wide awake. Every time she tried to close her eyes, thoughts of Scootaloo lying in a hospital bed came rushing through her head. And on top of that, she was filled with regret over snapping at Diamond Tiara like she did, as well as thoughts about the mare who played such a large part in getting Scootaloo to safety. So many ponies had helped Rainbow find Scootaloo that she didn't get the time to give Vinyl a proper thanks for playing such a large role in returning her daughter to safety. And as Rainbow looked at her clock and saw that it was well into 10:00 PM, she knew that she didn't have much of a chance of getting to sleep.

"I wonder if Vinyl's still up..." Rainbow muttered to herself as she hopped out of bed. "I'll be back, Tank," she told the sleepy tortoise resting on her bed before heading downstairs and leaving the house.


End file.
